UH, EXCUSE ME? – AT 9:13 P.M. ET:  Did someone not get the memo?

WASHINGTON - The United States may consider sending troops into Libya with a possible international ground force that could aid the rebels, according to the general who led the military mission until NATO took over.

Please tell the president what the new strategy is.

Army Gen. Carter Ham also told lawmakers Thursday that added American participation would not be ideal, and ground troops could erode the international coalition and make it more difficult to get Arab support for operations in Libya.

I'm so tired of hearing about the need for Arab support.  These people never support us in the end, no matter how much we help them.  They don't know the meaning of "thank you."

Ham said the operation was largely stalemated now and was more likely to remain that way since America has transferred control to NATO.

Running a NATO operation without America is like staffing a football team with 5'5" Hollywood agents.

He said NATO has done an effective job in an increasingly complex combat situation. But he noted that, in a new tactic, Muammar Qaddafi's forces are making airstrikes more difficult by staging military forces and vehicles near civilian areas such as schools and mosques.

New tactic?  Really?  Haven't the Israeli been pointing this out for years?  Of course, when they do, they're ridiculed by the usual leftist suspects.

Oh, get this:

WASHINGTON — The United States is scaling back its role in the international military operation against Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and will not be sending U.S. troops into the war-stricken North African nation “as long as I’m in this job,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted Thursday.

COMMENT:  Who do we believe here?  Does the president have a policy?

April 7, 2011