MICHAEL GOODWIN: The War In Libya Is a Fiction Wrapped Inside a Fig Leaf

"The fog of war" is what commanders face after the first shot is fired. Comes now President Obama's war of choice in Libya, where the "fog of words" hides the plan of battle itself.

Liberals who love nuance -- that's redundant -- are in their glory over the fuzzy terms of engagement. The mixed messages about the mission, the end game, who's in charge -- it's all so not George W. Bush.

The lack of clarity, the Obama White House insists, is a virtue, including having a commander in chief who's out of the country while it's bombs away. It's the first war run by a multitasking telecommander.

Of course, that's how Mayor "Bermuda" Bloomberg supervised New York's response to the Christmas blizzard. That went so well, there's no reason why Obama shouldn't continue his working vacation while he launches a third war in the Mideast.

Besides, if it doesn't succeed -- no "victory" allowed -- it will be Hillary's fault. She and other war-mongering fems talked him into it, you know.

The Bushies went to war with their chicken hawks, the Obamas go with their hawkish chicks. Yet this mission is so pure and simple that we'll soon be turning over control to others, Obama assures, so "we are one partner among many."

This is a fiction wrapped inside a fig leaf. The United States has 11 warships in the region, with one each for the Brits and French. Nearly all the missiles fired were American, and our "partners" already are fighting over who would lead if we step aside.

Italy demands NATO control, while France and Turkey say no way. Washington says it's fine with having the French and Brits share control, but we never before put our troops under the command of any other nation, which is why NATO's supreme commander is always American.

The Arabs, whose approval Clinton trumpeted as a "sea change," are fickle friends. Qatar is reportedly sending four -- four! -- aircraft. The United Arab Emirates promised to help enforce the no-fly zone, but now miffed at American policy on Bahrain, will only provide "humanitarian assistance."

Welcome to the future, where Muammar Qaddafi is the least of our problems.

Michael Goodwin is a New York Post columnist and Fox News contributor. To continue reading his column on other topics, including Claire McCaskill, click here.