Developments over the last two weeks appear to have killed those hopes.  First, the United States joined the growing list of countries officially declaring the rebel council based in Benghazi the "legitimate governing authority for Libya."  A day after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the announcement in Istanbul, Turkey, the message was personally delivered during a round of secret talks in Tunisia. The Americans said they had one message for the Libyans, "Gadhafi must go."  At roughly the same time, the Benghazi-based rebels mounted an attack on the eastern front, against the long-contested oil town of al-Brega.  Gadhafi's main spokesman accused the NATO military alliance of assisting rebels in the assault. He also drew a rhetorical line in the sand around al-Brega, declaring dramatically, "We will kill, we will die for oil. You come to get our oil, we will destroy you."  Since then, the rebel advance on al-Brega has slowed, reportedly due to deadly fields of land mines.  The rebels admit hundreds of their fighters were killed and wounded during a week of fighting around al-Brega, which Ibrahim grandiloquently re-branded "Libya's Stalingrad."  Meanwhile, the Tripoli regime has been staging large rallies in support of its embattled leader.  Enthusiastic, flag-waving crowds thronged the central squares of different regime-controlled towns and cities. Partisans swore allegiance to Gadhafi and defiantly fired volleys of gunfire in the air. State TV provided blanket coverage of the events, labeling them "million man marches."  The size of the rallies has been the subject of heated debate between foreign journalists and government officials.  But there is no question that Tripoli has been shoring up popular support for the man who has ruled this country for more than 40 years.
Britain's decision to expel Moammar Gadhafi's diplomats from London ensures that the bloody test of wills in Libya will grind on for weeks, if not months to come.Barely 15 days ago, there was