Warplane Shot Down Over Rebel Stronghold by the FRENCH!

The clear indication of how Barack Obama is viewed by other countries was delivered by Libya's Gadhafi:

At a news conference in the capital, Tripoli, the government spokesman read letters from Gadhafi to President Barack Obama and others involved in the international effort.

"Libya is not yours. Libya is for the Libyans. The Security Council resolution is invalid," he said in the letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

To Obama, the Libyan leader was slightly more conciliatory: "If you had found them taking over American cities with armed force, tell me what you would do."

World tyrants like Gadhafi have spotted Obama for who he is -- indecisive and hesitant when it comes to foreign affairs and a President who refuses to make a decision unless others clear the path. This letter is an indictment of the current President and how he is viewed around the world.  Obama's experience in community organizing came from sitting around a table telling others what to do. His time in the Illinois  Legislature and the US Senate gave him an opportunity to vote 'Present' on the tough decisions or not show up at all. In the Senate he never held one meeting of his sub-committee but he traveled overseas for that same committee on our nickle.  Looks to us like his Cairo speech was one big failure as the Middle East is in much worse shape today than when President Bush was in office.

Now he is in Brazil for Spring Break with his family saying it is an official trip about trade.  That is pure Bravo Sierra and the vast majority of Americans know the truth -- we are footing the bill for another family vacation overseas.   He is sending American pilots into harm's way and he is vacationing in Brazel.  Cannot imagine the media firestorm that would occur if President Bush had done the same thing.  He was attacked for playing a round of golf while Obama plays golf in nice weather every weekend including Father's Day when he told Dad's across America to spend the day with their kids.   


The French launched the first flights over the no-fly zone in Libya today ending up shooting down a Libyan plane that had dropped bombs on a rebel base. This is the same Country that wouldn't allow our planes to use their air space when President Reagan attacked Libya.  Now the French launched the first wave of aircraft and shot down a plane.  The French elected a President with a backbone finally and the United States elected a coward and a wimp in the last election.

The article talks about US planes arriving in Italy that will participate in the mission of flying the 'no-fly zone' but what about the US planes already on the ground at Aviano AB in Italy? The Navy has a huge presence not only in Naples but also in Sicily where they launch their planes for the surveillance of Iraq and Afghanistan. Italy has offered up seven of their bases including the American bases for support of the no-fly zone to NATO, other countries, and the United Nations.  With sending new planes into Italy, we are wondered if our current force structure in Italy is already over taxed with Iraq and especially Afghanistan.

This fiasco started off with SoS Clinton ordering ferries to take the Americans out of Libya which was a disaster and now we have Gadhafi being nicer in a letter to Obama than anyone else. The Keystone cops are on display except this is real life and once again American military is put in harms way by the very President who trashed former Presidents GW Bush, Bill Clinton, and GHW Bush for using our military for overseas operations. We can now report that the Kumbyya approach that Obama used in his campaign rhetoric and in the first years in office havs failed miserably! We are now left with a President with no backbone in these dangerous times.  When a leader like Gadhafi sees Obama as the weak link, it is indeed frightening.

Warplane Shot Down Over Rebel Stronghold by the FRENCH!

BENGHAZI, Libya -- Moammar Gadhafi took advantage of international indecision to attack the heart of the 5-week-old uprising on Saturday, sending troops, tanks and warplanes to swarm the first city seized by the rebels. Crashing shells shook buildings, and the sounds of battle drew closer to Benghazi's center.

Where is France, where is NATO?" cried a 50-year-old woman in Benghazi, where a doctor said 27 people were killed Saturday. "It's too late."

As leaders from the Arab world, the United States and other Western powers held a summit in Paris, a dozen jets from the U.S. and Denmark landed in Italy as part of the military buildup. France's ambassador to the United Nations, Gerard Araud, told BBC Newsnight that he expected action to begin within hours of the meeting. In an open letter, Gadafhi warned: "You will regret it if you dare to intervene in our country."

On Saturday, a warplane was shot down over the outskirts of Benghazi, sending up a massive black cloud of smoke. An Associated Press reporter saw the plane go down in flames and heard the sound of artillery and crackling gunfire.

Before the plane went down, journalists heard what appeared to be airstrikes from it. Rebels cheered and celebrated at the crash, though the government denied a plane had gone down - or that any towns were shelled on Saturday.

The fighting galvanized the people of Benghazi, with young men collecting bottles to make gasoline bombs. Some residents dragged bed frames and metal scraps into the streets to make roadblocks.

Abdel-Hafez, a 49-year-old Benghazi resident, said rebels and government soldiers were fighting on a university campus on the south side of the city, with government tanks moving in, followed by ground troops. In the city center, tank fire drew closer and rebel shouts rang out.

(snip)

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said the rebels are the ones breaking the cease fire by attacking military forces.

"Our armed forces continue to retreat and hide, but the rebels keep shelling us and provoking us," Musa told The Associated Press.

In a joint statement to Gadhafi late Friday, the United States, Britain and France - backed by unspecified Arab countries - called on Gadhafi to end his troops' advance toward Benghazi and pull them out of the cities of Misrata, Ajdabiya and Zawiya. It also called for the restoration of water, electricity and gas services in all areas. It said Libyans must be able to receive humanitarian aid or the "international community will make him suffer the consequences" with military action.

Parts of eastern Libya, where the once-confident rebels this week found their hold slipping, erupted into celebration at the passage of the U.N. resolution. But the timing and consequences of any international military action remained unclear.

In Benghazi, crowds gathered at the courthouse that is the de facto rebel headquarters. About 200 people were in the area, drinking tea and talking. Some brought a tank and a mounted anti-aircraft gun they said they had captured today.

"We are really surprised. When will they come? When will they stop him? It's always, 'In a few hours, in a few hours.' Then what?" said Salah, 42, a travel agent, raising his hands with a shrug. "Everybody is angry about this."

Dr. Gebreil Hewadi of the Jalaa Hospital and a member of the rebel health committee said that 27 dead had been taken to the hospital since Friday night.

Excerpt: Read More at AOL Huffington Post

Since Huffington Post joined with AOL News, they are now providing updates to new stories at the end. Please click here to read the latest information available on the Libyan ceasefire and how NATO, the Arab League, and the UN are handling the situation that is escalating today.