White House Chief of Staff William Daley hinted on Sunday that he might not support implementing a “no-fly” zone over Libya as the country experiences political unrest, reports ABC News.
“Lots of people throw around phrases of ‘no-fly zone,’ and they talk about it as though it’s just a game on a video game or something,” Daley said during a Sunday NBC “Meet the Press” interview.
Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry and Arizona Sen. John McCain said on Sunday morning talk shows that they support a no-fly zone.
During the same NBC interview, Daley praised Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who said last week that a no-fly zone would require more planes than are available from an American aircraft carrier, reports Fox News.
“Bob Gates understands the difficulty of going to war,” Daley said. “This is a man who spent his–almost his entire life working for the government. He, he knows the difficulty of war and the challenges, as does Admiral Mullen. So when, when people comment on military action, most of them have no idea what they’re talking about.”
“Their air defenses are somewhat antiquated. And this would send a signal to Gadhafi that the President is serious when he says we need for Gadhafi to go,” McCain said of a possible no-fly zone.
“The last thing we want to think about is any kind of military intervention,” Kerry said. “And I don’t consider the fly zone stepping over that line.”
The Obama administration might also tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help out Americans who are paying more for oil as a result of Middle East unrest, reports Fox News.
“The issue of the reserves is one we’re considering. It is something that only is done — and has been done in very rare occasions. There’s a bunch of factors that have to be looked at. And it is just not the price,” Daley said.