Why Is The US Navy Not Deploying It's Hospital Ships Outside Of Libya?

NIGHT COMFORT - The hospital ship USNS Comfort sits off the coast of Kingston, Jamaica, April 17, 2011, to support Continuing Promise, a humanitarian mission to countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Brian A. Goyak

WNU Editor: With the conflict in Libya becoming more and more bloodier, especially in cities under siege like Misurata, I have trouble understanding why the U.S. Navy has not positioned either the USNS Mercy or the USNS Comfort into this war zone. The casualties are approaching numbers into the thousands .... and if there is ever a need for such a hospital ship .... it is certainly now.

Is it possible that politics is involved? That positioning such a hospital ship in this war zone will also entail the positioning of a heavy US Navy presence to not only protect this ship .... but to also have the resources necessary to ferry the casualties from cities like Misurata .... a scenario that this White House does not want to contemplate right now.

Either way .... I find it an incredible lost opportunity for the US to show to the Arab world (and everyone else) what U.S. military medical assistance can do in such a badly needed situation.