[crazycat]

Although Gadaffi is a lunatic, one thing that hasn't happened there is extreme islam.

We can also thank the great reagan for reminding Gadaffi, just how short his life could be...

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Wasn't he taking a cr-- when the bomb hit his compound.

[Reily]

Basically Gadaffi is some tribal tribal chieftain from a by-gone age(Unfortunately all too common as national leaders in the 3rd world). People of his ilk are like the German tribal chieftains that Tacitus described, meaning they are either at your feet or at your throat dependent how much power you wield.
Gadaffi is a shrewd operator, he was a 3rd World revolutionary when there was something to be gained for being a 3rd World rebel (Basically something to be gained from the USA vs USSR rivalry.) He even had a "Little Green Book" in imitation of Mao's "Little Red Book", also for awhile that book was more important then the Koran in Libya. Then with the rise of Islamic terrorism ,he was a Islamic terrorist supporter & enabler (Lockerbie & Berlin Disco). Of course all the while crushing any Islamist organizations within Libya. Now he again finds the need to redefine himself, the USSR is gone (No superpower rivalry to exploit!) and the new threat is as much a threat to him as to us. Also his internal oil industry infrastructure is all 1970s Soviet technology and crumbling. His sons are supposedly western educated and oriented. They do make the right noises. Gadaffi does want to see that his family remains in power. We shall see.