The Prodigy Son

Was it only yesterday that Foggy Bottom welcomed Gaddafi's youngest boychick with open arms?

Why, yes; yes it was. From the WaPo:

The State Department helped facilitate an educational visit to the United States this year by the Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s youngest son, a 27-year-old military commander who became a prominent figure in the violent crackdown against Libyan protesters, according to the U.S. company that hosted the visit.

At the time of the January visit, State officials held a mild view of Khamis al-Gaddafi, calling him a reformer who should be exposed to American customs and business practices, a spokesman for the company said.

“They said it would be beneficial if he came away from the visit with a positive view of the U.S.,” said Paul Gennaro, spokesman for AECOM, an engineering and architectural design firm based in California that had business contracts with the Libyan government.

The State Department on Friday acknowledged that U.S. officials greeted the young Gaddafi on his arrival in the United States but said the government did not officially sponsor the visit.

Gaddafi is the commander of Libya’s 32nd Reinforced Brigade, a special-forces unit that has been heavily involved in the fighting against rebel groups. There have been unconfirmed reports that he died this week from injuries sustained when a Libyan pilot crashed his plane into an army barracks where the commander was staying.

But just two months ago, Gaddafi was presented to AECOM officials as a future business leader eager to learn Western-style management techniques...

And just months ago Gaddafi pere was presented as reformed ruler who'd beaten his nukes into plowshares. Just goes to show how quickly and completely everything can change.