Do you feel lucky, punk?

Imagine the frantic scene inside Libyan Army headquarters tonight in Tripoli. Like the rattled crook facing Clint Eastwood’s .357 magnum in Dirty Harry, I doubt Gaddafi’s generals are feeling lucky. For them, the UN resolution approving military action is the equivalent of a noose. Even their fellow Arabs seem eager to attend the prospective hanging. The generals know that, at minimum, they’re going to get hit by cruise missiles – and soon. They know Western coalition forces likely won’t stop there, especially since Gaddafi has threatened to retaliate throughout the Mediterranean. That means follow-on airstrikes. That means they’ll lose their communication networks, air defenses, navy, air forces and massed infantry formations near rebel strongholds. In short, they know the jig is up. Col. Gaddafi is going down. So a simple question remains for the generals: Do they go down with him? If we get very lucky, they’ll dispatch Gaddafi themselves and end the conflict forthwith.