Qaddafi Is Dead, Libyan Officials Say

To quote Andrew Sullivan:<p>To rid the world of Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Moammar Qaddafi within six months: if Obama were a Republican, he'd be on Mount Rushmore by now.

Somewhat sad to see that they killed that guy.<p>Having him testify in Den Hague could have provided very interesting insights on how corrupt the so called "democratic" governments really are.

Well I'm sure there's nothing but good times for Lybians from now on right? /s Sorry but my framework of reference just doesn't allow me to buy into this as a great thing for freedom and "democracy"

I guess it's okay that he's dead, but I'm concerned about the way he was killed. A bunch of soldiers ran into his house, stripped him, dragged him through the streets, and shot him at some point. That is some Trojan War shit.<p>I'm still not convinced that the Middle East is civilized... which is why I'm an isolationist.<p>I'm not very reassured by this quote from the transitional government spokesperson: “We were serious about giving him a fair trial. It seems God has some other wish."

Do I see a pattern emerge -- sitting on a large oil reserve and not "cooperating" with right people is detrimental to one's well-being.

The mood here is very gloomy. Back when they kicked out Ben Ali and Mubarak there was celebration on HN. I guess you're not really a dictator unless you're an ally of the US, huh?

One interesting tech angle to this story and the other wars in the Middle East (Iraq and Afghanistan): the rise of remote-controlled warfare. <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/111003/drone-wars-are-drones-making-war-too-easy" rel="nofollow">http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/...</a><p>Comparing Iraq, a messy invasion that drug on for a decade and cost hundreds of billions, to Libya, a tactical exercise that lasted a few months and cost only a billion plus, might not be a fair comparison, but there is no question that remote reconnaissance, targeting, and attack capabilities have improved dramatically since 2001. <a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/secret-stealth-drone-spied-on-osama-dodged-pakistanis/" rel="nofollow">http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/secret-stealth-drone...</a>

This article seems to be a bit "mainstream" for HN, IMHO.

It proves that the fucking United States of America will do anything if they want. UN is just a drama.

American Government planted this assassination, Libyans are just the namesake.

So its ok for other people to link to this story but not me? Really arbitrary moderation here.