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Capabilities there. the big question is, of course, you know what next? how do you recognize and identify an end state and how do you get there? >> the question about the military's advice here. i think the military's advice is very clear. you know, give us the mission, tell us the end state. we'll work the military means to get to that end state. i think the advice to the president would be very, very clear in that regard. on the other hand, the president makes final decision. so the president can decide that's our constitution. >> right. well, i mean, i ask because we have had the secretary ...

Isn't that to get arms in? >> i think the first thing's first. there is a real problem with gadhafi's forces on the move, pretty rapidly shrinking the area that the opposition forces control. and with the threats that were emminating from gadhafi's lips in the last couple days, adding fuel to that fire. so i think stopping that, preventing that a tragedy seems to me is the first order of business. now the challenge is if you can stop them, then how do you get to the desired end state? at least as it's been annunciated to date and that is get rid of him. i don't know how you connect the dots. t...

President obama's statement and it was all about stopping the humanitarian crisis. but not the end state. so i think -- my assumption would be that add mile an hour admiral mullen and the secretary of state and president are working very hard. we haven't heard that articulated. >> as a military person, do you think that any of the leadership in the military right now would go in without some idea of when they were getting out? >> one would think they've gone through this, talked about it. they're certainly looking for a way ahead. these are clearly tactical steps. we're very good at this. i th...

Military's advice here. i think the military's advice is very clear. you know, give us the mission, tell us the end state. we'll work the military means to get to that end state. i think the advice to the president would be very, very clear in that regard. on the other hand, the president makes final decision. so the president can decide that's our constitution. >> right. well, i mean, i ask because we have had the secretary of state, the president and the undersecretary of state all say gadhafi has to go. >> right. >> i mean, there is -- it's hard to imagine that -- >> it's a statement, howev...

Coming out of there that the shortage of electricity, of water, of medicine. so there really is, sounds like, a beginning of a real humanitarian crisis. i think that probably increased the sense of urgency. >> so you think it was more fear of mission creep? >> maybe not so much a fear as just when you resort to military force under any circumstances, once the shooting starts, then things have a way of happening and are very difficult to predict in advance. we have on going engagements as you're well aware in iraq and afghanistan. and a host of other things going on in the world. and so one of ...