Top Dem has 'very serious concerns' about US in Libya

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Friday voiced “very serious concerns” about the U.S. involvement in Libya and stressed the important of not getting entangled in another protracted conflict.

“I know the president carefully weighed all the options before taking this emergency action, but now that our military has prevented an immediate disaster, I have very serious concerns about what this intervention means for our country in the coming weeks," Rockefeller said in a statement. "Our military, and our budget, are stretched thin fighting two wars already, and I want to avoid getting into another conflict with unknown costs and consequences.

"I feel very strongly that we need to avoid deep military involvement in a third foreign country — particularly in a country whose politics and society are largely unknown to us."

President Obama has said U.S. ground troops would not be sent to Libya, and Rockefeller echoed Obama's promise to use only American fighter jets.

Rockefeller's comments mirror those of Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who, on Thursday, praised President Obama's decision to order U.S. forces to help enforce the United Nations Security Council’s no-fly zone resolution. Engel rebuffed criticism of Obama, saying the president made the right decision on Libya as long as the U.S. isn't stuck there for long.

The Obama administration has come under criticism by lawmakers in both parties for hastily getting involved in Libya without offering a defined mission or exit plan. The administration says its primary objective is to protect Libyan civilians from the use of force by Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

On Thursday evening, the multinational coalition enforcing the resolution in Libya announced that leadership of Operation Odyssey Dawn would be passed from the U.S. to NATO.

Rockefeller praised the handover to NATO as a "positive sign."

This story originally incorrectly stated that Sen. Rockefeller is the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He is the former chairman. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is the current chairman.