Democrats SHOCKED into silence!
TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy warned Western forces Sunday that his supporters were ready to fight a "long war" after the US, Britain and France launched raids from the air and sea.
US warships and a British submarine fired more than 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles targeting air defense system sites, while France said it carried out four air strikes that destroyed several armored vehicles belonging to pro-Ghadafi forces.
US defense officials said Sunday that three B-2 Stealth bombers also flew non-stop from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., dropping 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield in an attempt to destroy much of Khadafy's air force.
Admiral Mike Mullen said Sunday that the initial strikes against pro-Ghadafi forces were successful, and that the non-fly zone over Libya was already effectively in place.
Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Saturday's operations "went very well."
"He [Khadafy] hasn't had aircraft or helicopters flying the last couple days. So effectively that no-fly zone has been put in place," he said.
He also told ABC News that the Western forces' raids had halted Khadafy's attempts to attack Benghazi, where 94 people were killed in an assault by regime forces Friday.
A total of 19 US planes, including the three B-2 Stealth bombers, took part in the dawn raids Sunday, according to Kenneth Fidler, a spokesman for the US Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
The military action was launched to enforce a United Nations-mandated no-fly zone and to protect the Libya's rebels from Khadafy's forces. The raids infuriated Khadafy, who took to state TV on Sunday vowing to wage a "long war" with the West.
"All the Libyan people are united. The Libyan men and women have been given weapons and bombs ... You will not advance, you will not step on this land. We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits. We are ready for a long war. You are not prepared for a long war in Libya. We are prepared. This is a very happy moment we are living," Khadafy said.
"America, France, or Britain, the Christians that are in a pact against us today, they will not enjoy our oil ... You are aggressors, you are animals. We do not have to retreat from the battlefield because we are defending our land and our dignity," he added.
Libyan state media said Western warplanes had bombed civilian targets in Tripoli, causing casualties, a claim denied by the UK on Sunday.
A Libyan official told AFP at least 48 people had died and 150 were hurt -- mainly women and children -- in the assaults, which began with a strike at 4:45pm GMT on Saturday by a French warplane on a vehicle which the French military said belonged to pro-Ghadafi forces.
An AFP correspondent said bombs were dropped Sunday near Bab al Aziziyah, Ghadafi's headquarters in Tripoli, prompting barrages of anti-aircraft fire from Libyan forces that lasted about 40 minutes.
China, Russia and India on Sunday expressed their "regret" over the strikes on Libya and appealed for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
China and Russia were the two most prominent nations in opposition to the military action in Libya within the 15-member UN Security Council. However, the nations did not block the UN Resolution 1973 which authorized the operation, and chose instead to abstain from the vote.
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were providing aircraft to support the no fly zone, according to Sky Sources.
"Qatar is participating in the military action because it is necessary for Arab states to take part," Sheikh Hamad, who is also the country's foreign minister, told Al Jazeera satellite channel.
"The situation is untenable in Libya ... this is not a confrontation between protesters and police forces; it is an open war in which mercenaries are participating, and this must stop as soon as possible," he added.
Dubbed Operation Odyssey Dawn by the US, and Operation Ellamy by the UK, the military action was a showdown that had been building for weeks.
It was finally triggered when Khadafy ignored a cease-fire and a UN resolution establishing a no-fly zone, instead warning the heads of Britain, France and the UN, "you will regret it if you take a step to intervene."
US President Barack Obama announced Saturday that he had authorized "limited military action in Libya" but emphasized no American ground troops would be involved.
"We must be clear, actions have consequences and the writ of the international community must be enforced," he added.
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um.....maybe I'm missing something but how does this shock Democrats into silence?