Libya - of methods and results

Our involvement in Libya might end badly. It is a difficult situation. We can't be un-involved without drawing criticism, but we can't be too involved either. We can't engage in open warfare, but if power doesn't change hands in Libya many will call our involvement a failure. We need to work with others, but the bigger the coalition the more cooks we have in the kitchen, cooks that barely agree on what meal we are preparing. This may all end quite badly but that doesn't mean that getting involved was a mistake. The problems with our invasion of Iraq were all in the planning and preparation, or at least that is where they were first. We went in on false pretenses, without much of a coalition, and had no plan for what we would do once we won. We had screwed up before we ever had fired a single shot. This time, it appears that we have been more deliberate and less deceitful. We have the support of the Arab League and the United Nations. We are limiting our involvement. We have not yet harmed the cause of those we say we want to help. It's not clear if we have a plan for the next step, and it is a problem if we don't. We might also make missteps as the operation unfolds, like we did in Iraq (not providing for people's needs, disbanding the army pop, and utilizing torture pop into my head as examples). It also might all fall apart regardless of what we do. But so far ...