Libya Isn't War, It's "Kinetic Military Action"

Still insisting that we are not at war with Libya, the White House has produced another ridiculous euphemism: "kinetic military action". Here's what Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said on the subject:

“I think what we are doing is enforcing a resolution that has a very clear set of goals, which is protecting the Libyan people, averting a humanitarian crisis, and setting up a no-fly zone. Obviously that involves kinetic military action, particularly on the front end. But again, the nature of our commitment is that we are not getting into an open-ended war, a land invasion in Libya.”

Does any of this, aside from "no fly zone", sound like a "very clear set of goals" to you? To me, it sounds like a tortured attempt to avoid calling our presence in Libya what it really is.

Obama has already authorized the killing of US citizens without trial, choosing to sidestep the possibility of stripping their citizenship first. Now he apparently can declare war without the consent of Congress by calling it something vague. What's next?