Mahmoud Jibril, prime minister of Libya’s Transitional National Council,  has a good point when he calls on the United States to recognize his government as the legitimate leaders of Libya. This is more than a symbolic point, since official recognition will make it easier for the rebel group to get its hands on $34 billion in frozen Libyan assets—money it needs to overthrow Qaddafi and form a new government.

Jibril is now in the U.S. getting meetings with senior administration officials and lawmakers, but there is no sign yet that the Obama administration is prepared to recognize the Transitional National Council as France and Italy have already done. That President Obama hasn’t done so yet, even as American forces are fighting as de-facto allies of the rebels only shows how incoherent the current U.S. policy is. Obama has called for Qaddafi’s overthrow, but has refused to make it a goal of our military action. He has even refused to recognize the alternative government-in-waiting.

This shouldn’t be so hard. Compared to Pakistan—the problem from hell—figuring out the right thing to do in Libya shouldn’t be so difficult. Which is why it’s all the more puzzling that the administration refuses to get it right.

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