Let Libya's neighbors fix it

Doubt not that those pushing for a U.N./U.S. no-fly zone can enforce that goal themselves. Libya has less than 200 usable jet fighters of old vintage, flown by pilots who get less than 90 hours practice time yearly. Egypt has first-class F-16s that could pulverize any Libyan opposition. Saudi air power is even more formidable. That is to say nothing of the hundreds of top-grade fighters that London and Paris could deploy to bases in Egypt, Tunisia, or Italy. There would be no contest. Those arguing for a no-fly zone don’t need a U.S. aircraft carrier. If the stakes are anywhere near as great as activists claim, they don’t need a U.N. Security Council resolution either. Many is the nation that resorted to force without such international blessing. The hypocrisy here is monumental, even by traditional foreign-policy standards of baloney.

President Obama and his team have a herculean task on their hands, dealing with Libya as well as the far more vital rumblings throughout the region. Quite sensibly, they’re trying to maneuver Libya’s neighbors to assume their rightful and principal responsibilities. The Arabs and the Europeans live there, and if they truly see hell coming, they should act, and they can act. If they do, President Obama will give them proper humanitarian aid and other backup.