The NY Times reports:

The White House campaign to convince both Colonel Qaddafi’s loyalists and NATO allies that the Libyan dictator’s days are numbered were undercut by a military assessment given earlier in the day by the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper.

Responding to questions, Mr. Clapper told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that Colonel Qaddafi had a potentially decisive advantage in arms and equipment that would make itself felt as the conflict wore on.

Despite that pessimistic assessment, it seems Defense Secretary Robert Gates is not keen on a No Fly Zone, let alone an invasion.

In Brussels, meanwhile, NATO all but rejected a no-flight zone over Libya and agreed only to reposition warships in the region and plan for humanitarian aid.

Mr. Gates, who has been strongly resistant to a no-flight zone, said in a news briefing after a two-hour meeting of NATO defense ministers that planning for a possible no-flight zone would continue, “but that’s the extent of it.”

Both Mr. Gates and the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, stressed that NATO would agree to a no-flight zone only with “a clear legal basis” — in short, authorization from the United Nations.

Both also said in nearly identical statements that NATO would not take military action unless there was “a demonstrable need” and strong support from neighboring Arab nations.

Sarkozy is still reported as aggressively pushing for a NFZ however.

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   Obama rejects No-Fly-Zone in Libya for now http://bit.ly/gfhXel