Possible Military Action in Libya

President Obama may be one of the most cautious Presidents of all time, unlike former President Bush,  as he wieghs the pros and cons with options for responding to the crisis in Libya. High in the list of options are to declare a no-fly zone in Libya. What exactly would this mean? It would mean to the Libyan's that the United States for all intensive purposes will be declaring war on Libya. The United States would then attack all ground to air missile installations from the air using special guided missiles to eliminate the targets. It would be costly and it is not President Obama's first desired option regarding the crisis.  His hopes are that Moammar Gadhafi would "step down" and "relinquish power immediately," At the same time, the country of France is embracing the Libyan opposition leadership.
All assets to Gadhafi and his children have been frozen in the United States. The United States has innitiated sanctions against Kadhafi and Libya and has begun talks with the NATO allies on the possibility of establishing a no-fly zone over Libya.
Hilary Clinton plans to meet with the Libyan opposition leaders shortly during a trip to Egypt and Tunisia, and Obama's government has assigned "a representative whose specific job is to interact with the opposition and determine ways that we can further help them."  France now only recognizes the opposition council as the sole representative of the country, and the British are following suit. Germany at this time is being very cautious in choosing sides. Ties to the Libyan Embassy have been "suspended" and now the President is reaching out to the opposition leaders "inside and outside of Libya."  What this means is the the U.S. Libyan Embassy is now officially closed. but diplomatic relations are still open.  It looks as if the only thing the United States would be willing to accept is the removal of Moammar Gadhafi from power.