Peter Graff: NATO Pauses Strikes on Tripoli

After some of the heaviest bombardments of Tripoli, NATO bombing paused: A Reuters reporter in Tripoli said "no further explosions were heard after about 2AM. Loud blasts had been shaking Tripoli throughout Tuesday, and into Wednesday morning, with warplanes hitting the city several times an hour. NATO defense ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday, but there were few signs of willingness to intensify their Libya "mission", which has so far failed to oust Gaddafi. The alliance "claims", the bombing is to "protect civilians", and what better way than to kill as many as possible of them, all under the mistaken auspices of bombing! For some weird reason, Western powers are lining up for members of Al Qaeda, even though we supposedly, at least according to President Obama, recently killed its leader, Osama Bin Laden in cold blood. Nevertheless, Western powers are lining up behind the rebels. Spain, on Wednesday said it had recognized the Al Qaeda led army, as well as their "National Transitional Council", as the country's only representative. Gaddafi's troops and the rebels have been deadlocked for weeks, with neither side able to hold territory on a road between Ajdabiyah in the east, which Gaddafi's forces shelled on Monday, and the Gaddafi-held oil town of Brega further west. Rebels control the east of Libya, the western city of Misrata, and the range of western mountains near the border with Tunisia. They have been unable to advance on the capital against Gaddafi's better equipped forces, despite the constant air attacks by an aggressive NATO, which sought broader support for the Western bombing, so that Gaddafi and his people know who is in charge here. When NATO defense ministers met in Brussels to discuss the Libyan campaign, some "allies", that have not taken part in the joyful bombing, said that they would not alter their stance, and Sweden, a non-NATO participant, said it understood the "pressures on Britain and France", but would "scale down" its role. Of the 28 NATO allies, only eight, led by Britain (the home of BP, which still has not been able to clean up its mess in the waters south of New Orleans), nevertheless feel empowered to show Libya and her leader, who is now in charge of killing Gaddafi and his loyal people. Germany, which opposed the Libyan intervention, said it understood the pressures on Britain and France, but would NOT change its position. Spain chimed in as well, and a good time was had by all: If you can't have fun killing innocent civilians, what good is there in living on this earth?
This just in from "Rogue Government": US military operations in Libya will cost "hundreds of millions of dollars more than the Pentagon estimated". After all, it's only money, and our taxpayers will be deliriously happy in making up the difference! Robert Gates, the outgoing secretary of defense, said last month that the Pentagon expected to spend "somewhere in the ball park of $750m" in the 2011 fiscal year, as part of efforts to "protect the Libyan people". As we all know from previous wars, especially those who are blessed with weapons falling on their heads, "dead people are happy people"!