NATO officials were reveling in their latest “success” in the war in Libya, a new escalation involving attack helicopters pounding targets in and around the Libyan capital city of Tripoli. Officials say the helicopters are more accurate than the current air strike campaign.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the latest escalation would push Gadhafi’s allies to abandon him, and that his time is “up.” The escalation also led to another serious expression of concern from Russia, where officials cautioned that what was supposed to be a “no-fly” zone originally was “sliding” toward a ground invasion.