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      WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is weighing its
military options for Libya, conscious that it may need to flex U.S.
muscle to help usher Moammar Gadhafi out of power but fearful of
provoking even deadlier violence from a regime that has shown
little restraint in attacking its own people.


      The U.S. military also has no interest in getting bogged down in
a third war.


      Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that any military
action in the North African country must be carefully considered
because it would have broad consequences for the region and the
U.S. military, affecting even the effort in Afghanistan. And
military leaders said it would be difficult to organize even the
relatively modest threat of a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent
Gadhafi from launching aerial assaults on his opponents.


      "We also have to think about, frankly, the use of the U.S.
military in another country in the Middle East," Gates said, a
reference to the challenges involved with adding another war to the
one in Iraq and the potential for backlash in the Arab world.
'We're sensitive about all of these things, but we will provide the
president with a full range of options."


      Gates' caution contrasted with the more strident tone adopted by
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who warned that Libya
"could become a peaceful democracy or it could face protracted
civil war" amid continued violent clashes between government
forces and those seeking Gadhafi's ouster.


      Clinton told Congress the U.S. must lead an international
response to the crisis, including expanding already tough financial
and travel sanctions against Gadhafi, his family and confidants and
possibly imposing a no-fly zone. "The United States continues to
look at every single lever it can use against the Gadhafi regime,"
she said.


      But the military seemed keen to temper the rhetoric.


      Gates said he had ordered two Navy amphibious warships into the
Mediterranean Sea, along with an extra 400 Marines, in case they
are needed to evacuate civilians or provide humanitarian relief.
And while he did not rule out other options, such as providing air
cover for Libyan rebels, he made clear he has little enthusiasm for
direct military intervention.


      Their comments reflected the central bind facing the
administration as it seeks to keep the heat on Gadhafi, whom
President Barack Obama has called on to step down. It has called
for a tough international response to the violence that has killed
hundreds, if not thousands, in Libya, but there is a realization
that sanctions may not be able to persuade enough Gadhafi loyalists
to abandon his government.


      Gates noted that the U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution
passed last week provided no authorization to use armed force in
Libya; nor is there agreement among NATO allies on taking military
action.


      Clinton also recognized the risks in outside military
intervention, saying it might compromise Gadhafi's opponents, who
do not want to be seen as American agents. "They want this to have
been their accomplishment," Clinton told the committee. "We
respect that."


      As she spoke, Gadhafi and forces still loyal to him sought to
protect their remaining strongholds in and around the capital of
Tripoli and take back rebel-held areas in the east.


      American officials conceded they had an incomplete picture of
the rebels' chances of victory. Unlike in Egypt, where senior U.S.
officials had regular contact with Egyptian military leaders during
mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of President Hosni
Mubarak's government last month, the U.S. and Libya have no
substantial military-to-military relationship.


      Military officials were essentially saying they wanted to give
Obama realistic options for action in the narrow space they had to
operate.


      On the no-fly zone, Marine Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S.
Central Command, said the military would have to go so far as
taking out Libyan air defenses to implement such an order.


      Associated Press writers Robert Burns, Matthew Lee and Donna
Cassata contributed to this report.

Gallery

Clinton: US ready to aid to Libyan opposition

Obama says Gadhafi's time is up as Libya's leader

Gadhafi militia open fire on Libya protesters

Unrest

The Obama administration is weighing its
military options for Libya, conscious that it may need to flex U.S.
muscle to help usher Moammar Gadhafi out of power but fearful of
provoking even deadlier violence from a regime that has shown
little restraint in attacking its own people.

US unsure on military options for Libya

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