Top officials seem to be setting up a series of tests for the Libya War to ensure that the conflict will continue indefinitely. The latest pairing of conditions are a pledge that NATO “won’t force out” Gadhafi in the war, but that the war itself will continue as long as he remains.

The second part of this pledge comes from President Obama, British Prime Minister Cameron, and French President Sarkozy, who have all agreed to continue the war however long it takes for Gadhafi to leave.

This is the closest the alliance has come to defining an end-game condition since the war began last month, but officials still insist the UN mandate doesn’t include regime change. This means the end result isn’t even a hypothetical consequence of the war, but at best coincidental.