Obama's Libya policy is encouraging Qaddafi and hurting the rebels

Mr. Obama followed European leaders in declaring that Mr. Gaddafi must be removed from power; a White House account of his telephone call Tuesday with British Prime Minister David Cameron said “the common objective in Libya must be an immediate end to brutality and violence [and] the departure of Gaddafi from power as quickly as possible.” At the same time a U.N. Security Council resolution passed on Feb. 26 referred Mr. Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court for prosecution, meaning that he is likely to be subject to arrest if he leaves Libya.

It follows that the dictator has few choices other than to try to regain control of his country by force or die trying. His troops have been waging brutal battles to retake towns held by the rebels, using artillery, tanks, warplanes and other heavy weapons – and killing large numbers of civilians. Rebel leaders say they are badly outgunned and cannot easily advance across Libya’s open desert because of the threat of air attack…

It’s beginning to look as if what Mr. Obama has “engineered” is a situation in which the United States and its closest allies have declared that a dictator must go “as quickly as possible” – and have not only constrained themselves from ensuring that outcome but are actively hindering it by refusing to provide arms to the opposition.