George W. Bush is still ridiculed for his infamous pose on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003, when he stood beneath a banner declaring that the military operation in Iraq was “mission accomplished”. Eight years later, the job is still far from complete, even as the last US forces prepare to withdraw.
Barack Obama would never fall into the trap of declaring victory in Libya. But by withdrawing US forces from frontline operations today, that is effectively what he is telling his allies — and, more importantly, Colonel Gaddafi and his entourage.
US strike aircraft, which make up about half the coalition force, will withdraw from combat missions, leaving the bulk of the work to France and Britain.
The explanation from Washington is that the President always envisioned a limited commitment and that once Nato was in place to take over, the Americans would fade into the background.
That would be fine if the mission was complete, but by his own objectives this one is far from over. On the eve of combat operations on March 18 the President made his most assertive speech to date about his intentions in Libya. Supported by UN Security Council Resolution 1973, he demanded that Libya should respect a ceasefire, that Libyan government troops should halt their advance on Benghazi, that they should withdraw from Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zawiya and that humanitarian assistance be provided to reach the people of Libya.
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Zawiya is now under government control after a brutal siege in which hundreds of people have probably been killed or injured. Misrata has been the subject of heavy bombardment by pro-Gaddafi forces for weeks and is now set to fall. About 230 wounded civilians were evacuated by ship from the town; probably a tiny proportion of the growing casualty toll. Government forces remain poised to overwhelm Ajdabiya, the last coastal town on the road to Benghazi.
President Obama said that his demands were “not negotiable” and that Colonel Gaddafi would face military action if he did not comply. The Pentagon estimates that allied military action has succeeded in degrading the Libyan military by about 25 per cent, concentrating on air defences.
But after 17 days of US military combat the main task is far from over. At best, this is “mission one-quarter accomplished”.