David Ignatius is far too good at his craft to have being a novelist noted in parentheses! "Agents of Innocence" is arguably my favorite spy novel, second only to "The Quiet American" (which actually receives a cameo in the novel). I've read in several places - all from the same source? - that it is recommended reading at the Farm, and/or George Tenet recommended it. I suspect it is probably far closer to how intelligence actually works than many or most novels - little violence, little sex. Anyways, apologies for the off-topic comment, but excited to see David Igantius's reporting complimented, and wanted to give (appropriate) props to his novel-writing skill.

Tom:

In fact, I did appreciate Meg O'Sullivan's rewarding piece, an open mea culpa/lessons learned from someone who particularly has had plenty of time to ponder them.

Ignatius, I am sure, is gradually beginning to understand the essential nature of tribal payola schemes that are the underpinning of dictators. It is not that they are omnipotent, but that they have bought off serious opposition while crushing others (Is that a version of representative government supported by (at least) some people?).

Exum's same old diatribes reassuringly confirms that, for all these folks struggling to learn from the near past, at least one commentator remains committed to eating soup with knives to make him thirsty enough for a third cup of tea, following the same process of local co-optation that, for the most part, puts us in the current spot.

I'm still waiting for a credible pundit to credibly explain where this Libyan Operation (Obscure Dawn?) might be going.

It seems the rebels are being steadily pushed back, Gaddhafi's forces are reported to be steadily advancing. But despite this, he's certain to lose within two or three months?

This kind of "analysis" reminds me of what Fighin' Joe Hooker claimed at Chancellorsville - Bobby Lee's not getting away this time.

I'll admit, at first, I shared Exum's concerns about the Boys from Benghazi being a little too close to the radical Islamist camp, with their track record of sending suicide bombers to Iraq. I think I may have over reacted. If these guys were hard core AQ types, they'd probably be winning more battles.

I think we are on the right track, if Qaddafi is bleeding money like Ignacious says. But, if memory serves, another paranoid dictator in the Middle East had a pretty good stock of small arms and explosives stockpiled to keep things interesting for quite a while. Consider this my addition to the "Things I learned in Iraq" theme.

...about Dahmer in the kitchen! (I am so proud, because I've been cribbing from you for years).

It's an election cycle lets go shoot some bad guys,lets go overthrow a dictator
lets make the world ------- fill in the blank of your choice. On the home front meanwhile public education at all levels is being gutted, millions remain out of work,out of their homes and out of hope. Millions of americans have no healthcare,the infrastucture crumbles and the dollar heads towards Weimar Republic value. The troops are exhausted,the people are too and the Big Fools keep on marching us into the Big Muddy. But thats okay the Tea Party will save us by trashing NPR and Planned Parenthood and Rubio just volunterred us to kill Gaddafi and have the western tribes enlist in AQI/ Magreb chapter, Harry Reid wants Senate support for the President and President Obama just opened his campaign office in Chicago and I just watched my kids Talon land in Sendai. It is only respect for Mr Ricks and the contributors to this Blog that keeps this post from being nothing but a string of multilingual cuss words-I'm beyond disgust.

Tom,

I think your metaphor was over the top. Okay, you don't like Meghan and didn't even mention her name in your post. Got it. How about invoking Godwin's Law and comparing her to Albert Speer next time?

Her Op-Ed seemed to lay out things for current policy makers (& pundits) to consider as they charge off on the Libyan adventure. Just because you don't agree with her perspective doesn't mean her analysis isn't worth pondering.

no worries, Q will go and we can have another nation to experiment on. But this time we are for reals, ya'll, no Bremer style messing around. We'll get it right this time and get vindicated and all that.

Does Iggy know that the U.S. will be broke in only two months, as soon as the debt ceiling raise fails?

If Qaddafi is still around what then? Can the families of the rebels who've died while foolishly advancing because they believed that Qaddafi is a paper tiger, sue those who made this conflict look so easy?

David Corrrectly counts Gaddafi's cash, but overlooks his gold stash. Unicorn

We were initially told "days, certainly not months or weeks" for this operation. Now we are getting "just three more months and Qadaffi is broke" from "insiders". Can't wait and see what the "insiders" are saying next week. Weren't we strung along like this somewhere before? Weren't we once promised a no-fly zone combined with sanctions were certain to run some other guy out of town?

The Lybia strategy is to have the Arab League, the UN, Nato, the African Union active and involved in ridding the world of one of its most notorious and nefarious bad guys. Even the hard liners in Beijing and Moscow could not muster a veto at the UN against this one and the soft heads in Brazil and India had to go along (with Germany bringing up the rear of resignation to the inevitable).

This operation is a winner from the get go. Who will join to fight with Gadhafi? Who will speak for Gadhafi at any world or regional forum? Who will defy the US Treasury and others like it to front him with desperately needed money and resources to fight on?

The US JCS initially said Gadhafi had the money and resources to prevail over the rebels. Then Sarkozy went to work on David Cameron and with the help of Hillary Clinton converted the cautious (ditherer) Obama to the military cause. When Obama committed to this O went into this to win, and he has a winning lineup that would make Saddam quiver during his tyrany's best of times.