With the president's DNI telling Congress that Gaddafi will probably win, the call from the Arab League for a no fly zone over Libya will fall on deaf ears at the White House.

Of course, by not getting out front on the issue, the Obama administration has made a Gaddafi victory a self fulfilling prophecy. We can argue whether a no fly zone will actually do much good in stopping the dictator from mowing down his own citizens. but Obama can no longer use the excuse that the rest of the world - especially the Arab world - will oppose us if we did.

The BBC:

The UK and France have pushed for the idea, but have failed so far to win firm backing from the EU or Nato.

The Arab League vote for a no-fly zone was opposed only by Syria and Algeria, reports from the Cairo meeting said.

Nato has previously cited regional support for the idea as a key condition before it could possibly go ahead.

The US welcomed the Arab League's call, saying it strengthened the international pressure on Col Gaddafi and support for the Libyan people.

It's not the caution of Obama that should be criticized; it is his indecision. He hasn't ruled a no fly zone out or in; in the meantime, large numbers of Libyan civilians are getting slaughtered. He is hanging back, waiting for the rest of the world to decide what to do while a decision one way or another would have saved lives.

I wonder if any eyes will be opened among the voters over this. It is disconcerting in the extreme to realize that an American president refuses to lead on any international issue, contenting himself to do as the UN tells us and allowing actors like Sarkozy to appear to be at the forefront.

On every international issue of import since he was sworn in, Barack Obama has done little or nothing to exert American leadership. It will be interesting to see if the voters even care about it.