It is not a good sign when the good guys have doubts about the mission. There is a good chance it will be a "stalemate," which is a Gaddafi victory. This war is an ultimate waste of blood and treasure and money. If there was ground troops, the Libyan war would have ended in couple days. The war is now over two weeks old with no end in sight.
(ABC News) With the U.S. pledge to shift the majority of combat actions to Britain, France and other NATO allies, there is hope that a barrage of assaults on Gadhafi's strongholds will bolster the disjointed rebel forces after several days during which they have lost much of the ground they gained in the first days of the strikes.
A number of U.S. combat forces will cease operations on Sunday, including U.S. Navy destroyers and submarines that have been launching Tomahawk cruise missiles from the Mediterranean. Also beginning Sunday no U.S. aircraft will be flying strike missions -- though planes and naval vessels will be on standby.
Military experts said that America's reduced role in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone could cripple efforts to keep Gadhafi's forces from battering the rag-tag army trying to topple him.
They said they fear that without U.S. willingness to go after Gadhafi's troops and equipment from the air, and without U.S. ground controllers pinpointing targets, the effort to shield the rebels will fail.
"The idea that the AC-130s and the A-10s and American air power is grounded unless the place goes to hell is just so unnerving that I can't express it adequately," said Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C. "The only thing I would ask is, please reconsider that."
Even Defense Secretary Robert Gates wondered out loud whether the NATO airstrikes can succeed without the United States in the lead.
"They certainly have made that commitment, and we will see," Gates said.
Officials said Gadhafi's army has lost as much as 25 percent of its firepower, but it still outnumbers the Libyan opposition by 10-to-1.
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