David Looks like a coordinated attack on the protests are on:

NYC raided last night: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/11/2011111565910312603.html

Cant find it on any other news outlets yet….

So 53 Libyans were captured fighting Americans and “

The un-named council members could be, probably are, members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which was affiliated with al-Qaeda for several years.

Seriously? What is your evidence that they ‘probably are’?

Recommended reading for the confused progressives on this site (Pheonixwomen not being one of them): A little Juan Cole:

This left-wing trepidation is really irksome. The International community is actually doing a positive thing (far later than preferable) and all the left wingers can do is wring their hands and complain about all the other conflicts that they would have equal trepidation about becoming involved in.

I have family in Libya, more than i can even name and I can tell you that they are absolutely over the moon that the world has actually done something. Do you not read or look at what Libyans actually have to say about this? Is it always necessary to view the world through the paranoid lense of a anti-American conspiracy theorist? I realize thats the audience here for the most part and I would have counted myself amongst those theoreticians until last night.

I don’t care what motivates the US, just as I don’t care what motivates the tyrant in Tripoli. What I DO care about is that Libyans who demonstrated like they did throughout the region for freedom got mowed down and attacked from the air frequently by people who weren’t even Libyans half the time.

You want assurances of what will be there after the dictator is gone look at those who make up his enemies. These are ordinary people fighting for an extraordinary cause and it smacks of deep seated Orientalism to automatically assume that the next in line will be the tyrant-de-jour.

I expect better from my left wing compatriots than this nonsense drawing parallels with a failed and unpopular war in Iraq does no justice to the cause of the Libyans. Get with the program.

This is a win for using Western power for good for a change. Such a rare event should be recognized for what it is.

So Now what you ask. Now the rebels have an edge and it will only be a mater of time before he goes. Where were you people 3 weeks ago? Still wringing your hands and tutting about imperialism probably.

FWIW I havent posted here in ages but seeing as I am part Libyan and have been watching this pretty much every minute for the past month, I thought I would throw this in:

I have noticed that my left wing friends throughout the blogosphere and across the sites are understandably cynical about enlightened humanitarian use of force by the US and/or the West. However, from the standpoint of the Libyan’s indeed for all the Arabs in the region, it is largely irrelivent what the motivation is. If the West does not act the results for progress in the region will be dire. Action is welcomed as long as it falls short of a physical foreign presence on the ground.

I had given up myself that the West would act due to the two irritating influences upon Washington out of Riad and Tel Aviv.
Suddenly late last night a sea change from foot dragging to aggressive backing of an NFZ AND possible bombing of G’s APCs and Tanks. What could have changed their minds?

One possibility, other than the discussions that were held with the opposition leaders and the reps from Tunisia and Egypt, may have been Saudi Arabia’s behavior in Bahrain. I think that this was done without US approval or warning and any agreement made with SA regarding a hands off approach to Libya to prevent protesters in the region from being emboldened (and hence inspire trouble in the Gulf) probably was made on condition of a softer approach to Bahrain.

I think the embarrassment of the Saudi actions may have convinced the administration that this was a FU and time to take a stand of some sort.

Ultimately, what worries me slightly is the acceptance of a Russian demand to call for a cease fire in the resolution which is also something Gadfly is asking for. It is possible that, sensing an International consensus against him, he is looking for a stalemate that will allow him to keep his gains and keep the country split in two. I hope for Libya that he will not succeed in this. If the rebels are allowed to fight back they will win.

Not to forget Grayson is an AIPAC tool:

http://maxblumenthal.com/2009/12/progressive-hero-alan-graysons-secret-life-as-an-aipac-tool/

And on DNow starting 1:13 the evasion and ‘apologistics’ begin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEdTeF_2A-M

C’mon, there’s rhetoric and then there’s statements like that.
Try Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, they kissed the ass of the slave states and sat on their hands and delivered Civil War and not so esoteric Glenn Beckian shit your pants “end times” dreaming of it, but the real thing.

Hmm, I don’t know. Buchannan and Pierce didn’t have the global reach that Obama and modern presidents have, what with the largest military establishment and the most aggressive and violent policies on the planet. Perhaps if you are comparing the old Presidents on a domestic basis you might be able to argue they are worse, but when you factor in the Global, you know globalization thingy, you can’t avoid the fact that everyone, planet wide, environmentally, economically and militarily is affected by this guy’s policies.
Iraq, Afghanistan and now, in a timely manner (since Iran is too scary), Yemen and Somalia will get gang raped. For these people, I think it is pretty much the end times.

My vote goes with the Obomber just nudging out little Bush.