Robert Gates actually said...

Going forward, the U.S. military will provide the capabilities that others cannot provide, either in kind or in scale.

In my view, the removal of Colonel Qadhafi will likely be achieved over time through political and economic measures and by his own people.

There is absolutely no evidence to support that.

I acknowledge that I am preoccupied with avoiding mission creep and avoiding having an open-ended, very large-scale American commitment.