Moammar Gaddafi marked his 69th birthday today (June 7). Apparently NATO thought they might join the celebrations. We're over 60 strikes today in Tripoli and action is ongoing. Are they going for 69?
It might seem that landing more than sixty big bombs in a city, in order to defend civilians, is an oxymoron. However, NATO's actions so far in Libya have been impressive and as humane as possible, given that it is a bombing campaign. When striking a convoy of vehicles (tanks, APCs, artillery, supply trucks, etc.) NATO will target the first and last vehicles and give those in the middle the chance to run. Buildings and ships get radio warnings from ten minutes to 24 hours. The Gaddafi regime has resorted to passing off babies hurt in car accidents as 'civilian casualties.' I'm sure that people uninvolved with Gaddafi have been hurt in NATO strikes but their numbers and the hatefulness of the act cannot compare to the indiscriminate shelling, strafing and besieging that Gaddafi does to those who defy him.
People are on their balconies cheering. The dictator's siege of the Western Mountains (towns and cities in the Nafusa mountains south of Tripoli) which had lasted since the beginning of the revolution is being lifted, creating a new southern threat vector for Gaddafi in Tripoli about 60 miles away.
Misurata is liberated and inching westward towards Tripoli, though, like the revolutionary army in the east, NATO has, apparently instructed them to stop and allow the jets and assault helicopters to 'prepare the battle space.'
In the middle bit of the Libyan bite, Brega and Sirt, there are several thousand Gaddafi troops essentially cut off, unable to advance or retreat but unfortunately also afraid to surrender. Importantly, these forces will not be able to reinforce Tripoli when the inevitable fight reaches the capital.
The last week saw Russian and Chinese diplomats in Benghazi who, having seen the writing on the wall, are trying to cover their bets (and asses) with the Transitional National Council (TNC, the revolution's 'government'). You know you're in trouble when the Chinese start playing footsie with your enemies.
I admit that I was over optimistic in Libyan Endgame but I still hope and believe that the end for Gaddafi is near. While I don't expect NATO to pirouette towards Syria when they are done in Libya, I do think that the TV images of Gaddafi at the Hague or hanging from a lamp-post or his bullet-riddled body in the gutter or even his ass in a jet flying to Venezuela will scare Mr Assad.
The above has been collated from twitter (mostly ChangeInLibya), facebook (LibyanYouthMovement), Libyan opposition radio Tribute FM, AJE and its blog comments, the BBC and the New York Times.