The Libyan Air Force bombing Ras Lanuf.
On this, the second day of Operation Odyssey Dawn (or Ellamy, or MOBILE, or Harmattan depending on which country your news anchor currently sits in) there are already people who, after talking the talk, cannot walk the walk. The Arab League, an organization of fine, upstanding men who are ever so absorbed in the constant struggle to protect their people, have decided to protest the no-fly zone they were still calling for mere hours ago. Evidently they didn’t think there would be quite so much bombing.
Now I know the Arab League’s member nations have little to no military experience fighting armed people (aside from Israel which, having a Western-level of military technology, usually has no trouble dealing with them), but it was made quite plain before all this started that bombing would be a necessary part of any no-fly zone operation. As much fun as it is for pilots to dodge incoming AA fire and missiles all day, it is the preferred method to neutralize all ground-based attack platforms BEFORE establishing air superiority. In fact, it is part of establishing air superiority. One would think just watching both Gulf Wars would have illuminated the members of the Arab League as to how such things are done.
The Arab League is also worried about causalities from bombing. Once again they have gone and confused us, people with technology like laser-guided munitions and the means to use them properly, with their own people, mass-murderers like Gaddafi, who indiscriminately shells whole cities, and Saddam Hussein, who conducted gas attacks on unprepared men, women and children.
