The dither factor

Pres. Obama is being criticized for dithering on the decision to intervene in  Libya. The US is riding a tiger of unanticipated change over which it has  little control.  Congress wanted the right to dither as well, to debate the issue before authorizing action.  Which dither is more preferable?  Sometimes a  dither can be appropriate and in fact it can be a sign of wisdom.

By the time Congress has dithered, the  tank column moving on Benghazi would have finished off the rebellion, any moral support the US could have given to democratic movements elsewhere would have looked like a sham,  and any chance to ever oust Gadhafi would have been lost for a very long time as he entrenched himself deeper in power.  Any opposition would have been ground into blood soaked sands  for another generation as the sons Gadhafi continued the tradition of  the despotic rule of their father unchallenged. One can only imagine the revenge an  unbridled, rejuvenated Gadhafi family would take out on the West in the form of terrorism, a skill in which they excel.  So long as the opposition exists, gets training and develops leadership, international pressure and isolation may still  have a chance to cause the Gadhafi's family demise, even if the no fly zone fails to deliver the fatal  blow.

While Obama contemplated acting, time was not wasted.
The military prepared assets and targets, moving them into the Mediterranean  to make sure our options were viable , and  the Arab League and the UN were lined up  to avoid the US looking like it was just undertaking another imperialist move. Getting ducks in a row beats a rash act  any day, especially as the Middle East becomes a new reality of rebellion against oppressive governments we have counted as allies. The US did not cause the rebellions, the outcomes are uncertain, the new generation of leaders emerging beg new approaches, and as new democracies  form,  the opinion of the Arab street takes on  far more importance.  Obama's cautious approach  deserves praise given what is at stake in our future relations with the Middle East.