The Obama administration's toughest member calls on Libya to stop killing its people

By which, of course, I’m referring to Hillary. It seems she’s the only member of this administration with anything approaching ‘nads these days.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is condemning the violence against anti-government protesters in Libya and calling on the government of Moammar Gadhafi (MOO’-ah-mar gah-DAH’-fee) to “stop this unacceptable bloodshed.”

Clinton says the world is watching events unfold in Libya “with alarm.” The strongly worded statement came amid reports from Tripoli that warplanes were swooping low over the city and snipers were taking up positions on rooftops. One witness said armed men in militia uniforms opened fire on a group of protesters gathering to organize a march.

Yes, the world is watching, and will go right on watching. The fact is, we have no cards to play in Libya. We’re not about to impose any no-fly zones there. Reagan might have thought about it, but I doubt even he would have done so absent a more direct reason for the US to intervene. Recall that at the height of the US-Libya tensions in the 1980s, Reagan sent in the US Air Force to the air above the shores of Tripoli to pop the dictator in his tents, because the dictator had established a habit of terrorism. And most of our European allies, particularly the French, balked at letting us overfly them. That was then and this is now, but Europe hasn’t changed that much, and in any regards we have a Euro socialist type in our own White House now. And he’s not saying much, let alone acting, not with more pressing issues in Wisconsin vying for his limited time.

As for today, the Brits and Italians have some cards, but they’ll be keeping those close to the vest. It’s not as if the latter can project much power beyond its own borders anyway. The former is no longer the empire she once was. Sanctions may come, but not in time to get between protesters and government snipers.

Wanna see some cautious stupid? Here:

The White House said Monday it’s analyzing the speech by Moammar Gadhafi ‘s son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, to determine whether it has possibilities for democratic changes in Libya.

A White House official says the administration is seeking clarification from senior Libyan officials about their intentions. The official spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

If the reports of Libya bombing its own citizens are true, the Gadhafi mafia’s intentions are all too clear. They have seen the Chinese model for dealing with protests and they have seen the Egyptian model for dealing with protests. Libya has chosen  to follow the former.