16.51 The Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland is being redeployed from the eastern Mediterranean to international waters near Libya so it is pre-positioned in case it is required to play a role in assisting British nationals.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) – As pro-democracy protests spread around the world, the US State Department today issued its strongest words to date about the situation, offering “to stand by whichever side winds up winning.”

That pro-winning-side message, articulated today by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was intended to send a clear signal that the United States is willing to put all of its power and prestige on the line as soon as matters are settled by others.

“The United States has and will always be a beacon of freedom and democracy,” Secretary Clinton said. “And in that capacity, we are vigilantly standing on the sidelines and offering the strongest possible monitoring of events from afar.”

Joining her at the State Department press conference, President Barack Obama echoed her statement, telling reporters, “I am behind Secretary Clinton’s mixed message one hundred percent.”

“To dictators who think they can get away with oppressing their people, let me say this,” President Obama continued. “The United States of America is standing by, thousands of miles away, to see how this mess turns out.”

As for any possible change in policy in the future, Secretary Clinton seemed to rule that out: “We will remain consistent in our policy of issuing meaningless statements at random intervals.”

Sec. Clinton, however, did urge dictators to resist the temptation to pass power on to their sons: “If that had happened on ‘The West Wing,’ that would have been Charlie Sheen.”

http://www.borowitzreport.com/

#Libya is suspended, immediately, from the Arab League - Al Jazeera http://bit.ly/eAyrOr

OMG, we knew the dude was crazy... but seriously?

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/0....

Quote:

His main point was an attempt to blame "drugged youth" and foreign imperialists. He used the chilling example of the 1989 massacre at Tianenman Square: "The integrity of China was more important than those in Tianenmen Square. "

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at least we don't have to worry about getting any Americans out

Unfortunately, we've got an embassy in Tripoli. http://libya.usembassy.gov/

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Sounds like it's only a matter of time before one of his own thugs decides to pop him.

That's my bet.

I wonder if Gahdaffi's speech is going to be used as the pretext for an allied invasion to quell the violence (and turn on the oil spigots).

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Agreed. This ****er isn't going to go unless he comes out in a body bag.

At this point we all have to have faith in the balance of nature taking this freak out. As there has been a number of high ranking military defections, one can reasonably assume they are pulling some strings from afar to kill Gaddafi.

We don't know what cooler heads are cooking up behind the scenes, however, when confronted with the insanity and savagery of this whackjob, motivation to assassinate him will come front and center quickly.

I for one am hoping that a 'Reaganesque' operation is being devised to put a guided missile squarely between his eyes. No flubbing up this time, no taking out close relative (i.e.) daughter or son, just go for kill that counts and GET IT OVER WITH SOON BEFORE HE KILLS EVERYBODY!

1:12p BREAKING Libya declares force majeure on oil: report


Uhhhh. That's not good, is it?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/2....

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Libya also declared force majeure on all oil product exports, traders said.

We need a 'dead pool' on this clown; I'll go Thursday 6pm EST for the announcement.

Bbc news - Air France jet unable to land at Tripoli - clearly we're looking at foreign national hostages becoming part of this story.

Not sure if this tweet is true:

RT @libyanfsl: #Tripoli cant go to hospitals. Patients being sent back because Doctors being killed in hospitals. #feb17 #Libya

RT @ShababLibya: BREAKING: Al Hurra - Two Battleships shelling BENGHAZI #Libya #Feb17


http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1784
BREAKING: Al-Hurra: two battleships shelling Benghazi

Battleships? Quiwierdo has BATTLESHIPS?

RT @Gheblawi: Our man @taimur_ly in #Benghazi holding Anti-Aircraft 14.5mm bullet case used against peaceful protesters #Libya http://twitpic.com/42n1vi

http://twitpic.com/42n1vi

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Battleships? Quiwierdo has BATTLESHIPS?

I bet they are just cruisers or destroyers. This is all translated and second/third hand info; I'd take it with a HUGE grain of salt.

A Destroyer, ok...... a battleship is a different animal.

According to Galrahn over at Information Dissemination they are likely corvettes. Certainly not battleships and likely not destroyers, but still wouldn't want to be on the receiving end

Galrahn Raymond Pritchett
Corvettes, but whatever... RT @ShababLibya: BREAKING: Al Hurra - Two Battleships shelling BENGHAZI #Libya #Feb17
12 minutes agoFavorite Retweet Reply
http://twitter.com/#!/Galrahn

No battleships, not that I can find info on anyway.

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The largest surface ship in the Libyan navy, a frigate of about 1,500 tons with a crew of 130, was ordered just before the 1969 coup and delivered in 1973. Later, high-speed patrol boats and corvettes equipped with surface-to-surface missiles were purchased from France, Italy, and the Soviet Union. Between 1976 and 1983, six Soviet Foxtrot-class submarines were delivered. Each required a crew of seventy-five; in addition, twelve Soviet advisers were reportedly assigned to each vessel.

Destroyer, battleship, cruiser... Anything that floats on the surface is merely a target.

****ing sardine can driver....

Chellie-

That may have been rhetorical, but no that is not good at all.

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Libya also declared force majeure on all oil product exports, traders said.

Not saying things are peachy over there, but this is sloppy reporting and pump-ese at its finest.

"Libya" has no reason to "declare" anything, much less something as legally abstract as force majeure. If Ka-Daffy wants to pull the plug, he can - and likely will - just up and do it without declaring a damn thing.

Youtube Libyan protests, several dead protesters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raIKp_QUQ....

RT @OmarAlmu5tar: #Libya: "We have reached the point of no return. We know if we don´t die in the streets they´ll kill us in our houses" #Feb17

Bloody streets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWl0kIzvI....

http://politicista.tumblr.com/post/34393....


Protest pic:
http://twitgoo.com/1ziuec

Tallystick said:

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US or allies should at least knock out any helicopters or planes being used to attack civilians.

In the political spectrum quiz in the bar, the vast majority claimed to fall within the libertarian spectrum.

Can anybody tell me if being the worlds policeman is part of the libertarian philosophy?

It absolutely is not Guy.

Guy:
Yeah, funny that, isn't it?
Why do we need to get further involved over there?
Plenty of "allies" right across the way from Muammar and his buddies (Larrymar and Curlymar), let them deal with him.
We need to get our guys OUT of all the places we're already at, not into more of them.