Max Boot gets yet another chubby:

As the enforcement of no-fly zones over Bosnia and Iraq should have proved, the risks of such an operation are minimalespecially if we first neutralize Gadhafi's air defenses.

By itself, a no-fly zone might not be enough to topple Gadhafi. At the very least, however, it would dishearten Gadhafi's supporters and buy time for the rebels. We could further tilt the balance in their favor by bombing Gadhafi's installations and troops.

It may also be necessary to send arms and Special Forces trainers to support the rebels. Without committing any combat troops of our own, we could deliver the same kind of potent combined-arms punch that drove the Serbs out of Kosovo when NATO aircraft supported ground operations by the Kosovo Liberation Army.

This is an act of war. If such a thing were begun, it would require a vote in the Senate. And notice how Boot starts with a "minimal risk" no-fly zone and within a few sentences has US forces on the ground. I do not doubt Boot's sincerity and good motives. What simply boggles the mind is that such an argument can be made with a straight face after Iraq and Afghanistan. Boot, to coin a Gatesian phrase, needs his head examined.