WaPo: Does It Matter If Gaddafi Wins? Yes, the Stakes Are Enormous

I’m generally opposed from getting involved in Libya at all, but I think Marc Thiessen raises some important points in today’s Washington Post:

“…putting aside the moral imperative, from a hard-nosed strategic perspective the stakes for the United States in Libya are high — and consequences of allowing Gaddafi to prevail could be disastrous for American national security.

If the Libyan dictator survives, he is not likely to resume being the benign Gaddafi of recent years, who handed over his weapons of mass destruction, renounced terrorism and made nice with the West. More likely, he will be the brutal Gaddafi of old — the state sponsor of terror who blew up Pan Am 103 over Scotland, killing 270 people; destroyed a French passenger jet over Niger, killing 171 people; bombed the La Belle discotheque in West Berlin, killing two U.S. soldiers and injuring more than 50 American servicemen; established terrorist training camps on Libyan soil; provided terrorists with arms and safe haven; and plotted to kill leaders in Saudi Arabia, Chad, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia and Zaire. If he succeeds in putting down the rebellion, Gaddafi would probably emerge angry and emboldened — a dangerous combination.”

Be sure to read the whole piece.