Admiral Mike Mullen on the air strikes on Libya:

Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday morning, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that air strikes in Libya had been “so far very effective” but that “it’s difficult to know” what would happen to Qaddafi in the coming weeks.

“He’s a thug, he’s a cagey guy, he’s a survivor,” Mullen told CBS’ Bob Schieffer. “We know that. So it’s difficult to know exactly how this comes out, but in the immediate future we’re very focused on protecting, providing the environment in which the Libyan civilians cannot be massacred by him and that there can be humanitarian relief and particularly in and around Benghazi.”

This is certainly a laudable intention, but what’s the endgame in Libya? It’s hard to envision a real solution to the oppression of the Libyan people that does not involve removing Muammar Gaddafi from power — but no one is saying it. In fact, the US explicitly denies that ousting Gaddafi is the goal.