THE PLANNING, THE STRATEGY, MAYBE THE MOVIE – AT 9:57 P.M. ET:  Libya isn't going well.  The rebels are stalemated, and maybe that isn't such a bad thing, since we don't know exactly who the rebels are.  Now we learn that mighty NATO, absent the United States, isn't a paper tiger.  It's a paper mouse:

Nato is running short of attack aircraft for its bombing campaign against Muammar Gaddafi only days after taking command of the Libyan mission from a coalition led by the US, France and Britain.

David Cameron has pledged four more British Tornado jets on top of eight already being used for the air strikes. But pressure is growing for other European countries, especially France, to offer more after the Americans withdrew their attack aircraft from the campaign on Monday.

"We will need more strike capability," a Nato official said.

Since the French launched the first raids on Libya 16 days ago, the coalition and Nato have destroyed around 30% of Gaddafi's military capacity, Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, the Canadian officer leading the air campaign, told Nato ambassadors.

But attempts to "degrade" the Libyan leader's firepower further were being complicated by a shift in tactics by Gaddafi, said Brigadier General Marc van Uhm, a senior Nato military planner.

"They are using light vehicles and trucks to transport," while hiding tanks and heavy weapons, he said.

COMMENT:  There certainly doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm on the part of NATO, absent vigorous American leadership.  And there doesn't seem to be any vigorous strategy.  I think there has been a greater sense of hesitation after press reports noted that the rebels aren't exactly Explorer Scouts, and that key members of the rebel leadership have dark pasts.  Reports out of Egypt that the "democratic" revolution may not be very democratic may also be leading to a pulling back, at least emotionally. 

I also get the sense that Americans are losing interest in the Libya story.  Without a clear distinction of good guys and bad guys, it's hard to charge into the lines.

April 5, 2011