Gates Says Other Nations Should Arm Libyan Rebels

[WestVirginiaRebel]

NY Times:

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told Congress on Thursday that he opposed having the United States arm the Libyan rebels fighting Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and that it was up to other countries to provide them with weapons and much-needed military training.

Mr. Gates’s comments, made during a marathon day of testimony to members of Congress angered by President Obama’s incursion into Libya, were the first time that a key member of the president’s national security team had publicly expressed an opinion on the issue. The administration has been engaged in a tense debate over the merits of giving arms to the rebels, and so far Mr. Obama has only said that he is weighing what to do.

“What the opposition needs as much as anything right now is some training, some command and control and some organization,” Mr. Gates said. “It’s pretty much a pick-up ballgame at this point.” But, he said, providing training and weapons is “not a unique capability for the United States, and as far as I’m concerned, somebody else can do that.”

Mr. Gates also said he strongly opposed putting any United States forces on the ground in Libya. Asked if there would be American “boots on the ground” – uniformed members of the military – Mr. Gates swiftly replied, “Not as long as I’m in this job.” He declined to comment on reports that the CIA is already working there.
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Quite frankly, we shouldn't be taking sides until we have a better idea of who the rebels really are.

[Saltbag]

Cripes, this is whole encounter is egg on our face. Step one: Denounce Quaddafi and demand he steps down. Step two: Figure out what to do when he doesn't step down and you aren't willing to back it up.

 

So is it "Operation Pretty Please with Sugar on top, Step Down," or "Operation I Double Dog Dare You to Step Down?"

 

Our activity so far has been more of a leveling the playing field, so the rebels can stand up to Quaddafi, with no intention to actually support them. So what's to be said for falsely encouraging a bunch of barbers and pharmacists that have never held a gun before to face a trained army in revolution? This won't turn out well.

[ErnstBlofeld]

Libyan gold reseves are within the top 25 nations in the world(144 tons). They have the ability to tap $ 7 billion dollars and buy all the foreign fighters Gahddafi can lay his hands on.Nothing will stop the Libyan Army from arming themselves effectively. However, they will have to use neighboring countries via the Sahara Desert to export the money and import arms.