Sec. Hillary Clinton visits Libya

Very smart of the Administration to send a female Secretary of State out now. Just the fact that she is there sends the right message on women's rights.

The remaining Gadaffi loyalists still fighting are confined to two small areas of Sirte and Bani Walid. It is now a matter of when, not if they fall. Gadaffi himself is reportedly in hiding in the Sahara region.

Meanwhile the end of the Gadaffi regime seems to be encouraging anti-government demonstrators in Syria. The protests are mounting, as is the death toll. Not surprisingly the troops who fired on unarmed protesters are now being attacked. The Syrian protests are rapidly turning into the Syrian insurgency.

Assad has backing from the Iranian and Iraqi governments but not much more. Russia and China are blocking any attempt to impose sanctions against the regime in the UN, but this is driven by geography and their interest in limiting US regional influence rather than any great love for Assad. The fall of Syria would probably not concern either country very much but could be the start of a Shi'ia Spring that brings down the Iranian regime.