I thought lefties were opposed to interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign state?

(The Australian) — The Obama administration is under renewed pressure to impose a no-fly zone over Libya after a leading US senator disputed the Pentagon’s view that it would require a military attack.

Senator John Kerry yesterday said the US should prepare for a no-fly zone, with its allies, to thwart attempts by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to massacre large numbers of civilians.

As the White House retreated from the proposal, the senator said the US should consider “cratering” Libyan airports to disable Colonel Gaddafi’s air force.

“The last thing we want to think about is any kind of military intervention, and I don’t consider the no-fly zone stepping over that line,” Senator Kerry said.

His opinion carries weight as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an important Democratic ally of President Barack Obama.

He contradicted Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who condemned “loose talk” about a no-fly zone last week, saying it amounted to military intervention. “A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defences,” Dr Gates told a congressional committee hearing.

Speaking on CBS, Senator Kerry said: “That’s actually not the only option for what one could do. One could crater the airports and the runways and leave them incapable of using them for a period of time.”

The senator, a Vietnam War veteran and Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, was backed by senior Republican colleague John McCain.