Is Sen. John McCain's visit Friday morning to the Benghazi strong-hold of Libya's rebel forces a sign of creeping escalation in the conflict with strongman Muammar Gaddafi that may lead to eventual troop deployment by Western nations? Impossible to know at this point, of course, but events coinciding with McCain's visit to opposition fighters he called “my heroes” does allow the question to be raised.

As an ardent and vocal backer the anti-Gaddafi rebels, it's hardly surprising McCain made the journey to Benghazi to demonstrate his support of the opposition. Nor is it illogical he used that walk-about to renew his opposition to President Barack Obama's decision to scale back U.S. military involvement in the air campaign against Gaddafi assets, and allow France and the UK to assume heaviest in that under NATO's direction. But McCain's calls for the U.S. and its partners to increase their support of and assistance to the Libyan opposition comes in the wake of earlier announcements committing  new assistance to Libyan rebels—and which could turn out to be the first step in wider escalation. On Thursday, Obama announced the U.S. would begin using drones to as part of its participating in anti-Gaddafi air strikes. On Wednesday, meanwhile, the UK, France and Italy all announced they'd be sending military officials to advise rebel commanders seeking to shape up their rag-tag fighters into an effective fighting force.