It is natural for the Libyan rebels to want the West to give them victory. But defeating Qaddafi is their job, not that of America (or Europe).

Most everyone on earth would like to borrow the U.S. armed forces. Doing so is the quickest route to victory in any conflict. However, Washington should deploy the American military only where and when the U.S. has a vital interest at stake, which is rarely the case—and certainly not in Libya.

Military intervention should not become America’s newest entitlement program.