The whatever-it-is in Libya gets more convoluted daily as Defense Secretary Gates tells Congress there will be no U.S. boots on the ground “as long as I’m in this job,” while non-uniformed C.I.A agents soft-shoe their way in to find out who the rebels are and what they need.

In the Senate, John McCain proclaims that “Hope is not a strategy” as Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen reports the no-fly mission has been hampered by bad weather.

So much for the military situation. With obvious White House help, David Brooks enthuses over a “Squeeze and See” strategy to “ratchet up the pressure…reaching out to senior Libyan figures to encourage defection (the foreign minister has already split, and more seem to be coming).

“There is an effort to broadcast television signals into Libya to rival state TV. In the liberated areas, the multilateral alliance is sending aid to build civil society and organize the political opposition. The U.S. is releasing billions of confiscated Libyan dollars to the opposition to ensure its staying power.”

MORE.