With fresh arms and a renewed vigor from an increasingly intense NATO bombing campaign, anti-government rebels in Libya have made tangible gains over the past few days. The rebels captured the airport in Misurata, and sent Gadhafi loyalists fleeing for cover. The airport served as a base and storage facility for Gadhafi’s forces and their heavy weapons. Rebels say they’ve seized weapons and ammunition from the airport. Rebels are now advancing west from Misurata to Ziltan, which is closer to Tripoli. Fighting has subsided on the eastern front around Ajdabiya as well. Gadhafi has gone underground, not even appearing at his son’s funeral, which has fed the rumor mill.

The first Predator drone strike has hit Libya, the US military confirmed today. It’s not clear where it struck, but explosions were heard outside Tripoli, in addition to in the area around the besieged city of Misurata. Some missiles fired by NATO apparently hit an underground bunker near the Gadhafi compound in Tripoli, which looks to have been used for military storage.

John McCain, giddy at finding a new war zone to put on his travel schedule, flew into Libya today, praising the rebel forces in Benghazi as heroes and encouraging them to finish the job.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced at a Pentagon briefing that President Obama has authorized the use of armed Predator drones over Libya. The unmanned planes have been used extensively in the Afghanistan and Pakistan missions, among other places. In fact, an amendment to the latest FAA Authorization bill, if passed by Congress, would allow for the use of drones in US airspace. So, why not Libya?

The situation in Misurata is bleak: hospital officials confirm 17 dead yesterday. As that continues, regardless of the UN effort you will hear the cries from residents of the need for more airstrikes or even ground troops. After all, the logic is exactly the same: the UN needed to prevent a massacre in Benghazi. Why not Misurata, the third-largest city in Libya, as well?

Witness the strange little war in Libya, where NATO is running out of weapons but the rebels are not.

NATO apparently is running out of precision bombs for use in their air campaign, which doesn’t inspire much confidence in NATO. We’re what, a month into this operation?

President Obama penned a joint op-ed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron about the situation in Libya. The President has been awfully quiet about the Libyan mission since announcing it would take “days, not weeks” four weeks ago. But this statement reaffirms the commitment, and actually goes further by all but announcing a policy of regime change.

Hey, remember that Libyan war? Third simultaneous conflict? I know, spending on wars has nothing to do with the budget, so it’s been removed from the discussion lately. Anyway, NATO’s in charge now, and the US bugged out. They’re not even running bombing missions anymore! Except, as friend to FDL Spencer Ackerman points out, they are.

France and Britain are getting impatient with the NATO mission in Libya. I guess France now thinks, in the aftermath of their conquest in Ivory Coast, that they can snap their fingers and bring down a government. But Libya is a different animal altogether. What they’re asking for is unrealistic.

The Libyan opposition, feeling entitled to direct military operations despite assurances that the mission would not be used in that fashion, is angrily demanding more and better airstrikes on Gadhafi’s troops. In case you had any doubt that the opposition views NATO as their air force, read on. . . .