James Petras: Libya and Obama's Defense of the "Rebel Uprising"

Over the past two weeks, Libya has been subjected to the most brutal imperial air, sea and land assault in its modern history: Thousands of bombs and missiles, launched from American and European submarines, warships and fighter planes are destroying Libyan military bases, airports, roads, ports, oil depots, artillery emplacements, tanks, armored carriers, planes and troop concentrations. Dozens of CIA and SAS special forces have been training, advising and mapping targets for the so-called Libyan 'rebels' engaged in a civil war against the Gaddafi government, its armed forces, popular militias and civilian supporters. Despite the massive military support and their imperial 'allies' total control of Libya's sky and coastline, the 'rebels' have proven incapable of mobilizing village or town support and are in retreat after being confronted by the Libyan government's highly motivated troops and village militias. One of the flimsiest excuses for this inglorious rebel retreat offered by the Cameron-Obama-Sarkozy 'coalition', echoed by the mass media, is that their Libyan 'clients' are "outgunned". Obviously, Obama and company don't count the scores of jets, dozens of warships and submarines, the hundreds of daily attacks and the thousands of bombs dropped on the Libyan government since the start of Western imperial intervention.