That shift has been under way for some time. Though polls showed Obama’s popularity soaring as he prepared to deliver his speech to the Muslim world in Egypt in the summer 2009, that affection appeared to have waned by the following year. International polling conducted last summer showed confidence in Obama plummeting in key Muslim countries…

Former Obama adviser Rob Shapiro suggested that, if certain things fall into place, the intervention could burnish the president’s image. He stressed that the U.S. is not at war and instead is leveraging an international alliance to stop a dictator without occupying the country.

“The United States is no longer the out-of-control cowboy,” Shapiro told Fox News. “Instead, we build global coalitions. We get the support of the Arab world. We get the support of Africa. We get the support of Europe.”

Shapiro acknowledged, though, that if Qaddafi remains in power when the sand settles, the mission may not be gauged a success.