Thread: White House: Libya Fight is Not War, It's 'Kinetic Military

FOXNATION
By: Byron York

White House: Libya Fight is Not War, It's 'Kinetic Military Action'


Downed USAF F-15 In Libya

In the last few days, Obama administration officials have frequently faced the question: Is the fighting in Libya a war? From military officers to White House spokesmen up to the president himself, the answer is no. But that leaves the question: What is it?

In a briefing on board Air Force One Wednesday, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes took a crack at an answer. "I think what we are doing is enforcing a resolution that has a very clear set of goals, which is protecting the Libyan people, averting a humanitarian crisis, and setting up a no-fly zone," Rhodes said. "Obviously that involves kinetic military action, particularly on the front end."

Rhodes' words echoed a description by national security adviser Tom Donilon in a briefing with reporters two weeks ago as the administration contemplated action in Libya. "Military steps -- and they can be kinetic and non-kinetic, obviously the full range -- are not the only method by which we and the international community are pressuring Gadhafi," Donilon said.

Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/libya-war/201 ... z1HW4YO79N

Obama ends Americas tour, cuts Mayan visit



President Barack Obama left Central America earlier than scheduled, cutting short a tour dominated by the U.S.-led military action in Libya.

The president eliminated a visit to Mayan ruins from his itinerary Wednesday, permitting him to leave a few hours earlier. Aides have taken pains to portray Obama as fully engaged in the deployment of missiles and warplanes in North Africa even as he devoted his public time to bridge-building with Latin American leaders.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/ ... 3-03-06-19