Franken supports Libya action, wants to know how much it costs

More members of Minnesota's Congressional delegation are weighing in on American military operations in Libya.

DFL Sen. Al Franken said today he supports the mission. But in a statement to MPR News, Franken also suggested that the Obama administration needs to better explain the mission's goals.

"While I personally believe that Qaddafi should go, people need to understand that the purpose of the force we're using is specifically to protect civilians, not to coerce a regime change," Franken said.

At a time when Congress is debating how deeply to cut spending, Franken also called on President Obama to clarify the financial costs of the military operations in Libya.

Here's the full statement:

"The Libyan government's violence against its own people is completely unacceptable," said Sen. Franken. "Innocent civilians in Libya must be protected from massacre by Qaddafi and that is why I support the action the president has taken so far. Our participation is limited in scope and duration, the president has stated categorically there will be no U.S. ground troops deployed, and we are working in partnership with an international coalition enforcing a U.N. resolution."

"While I personally believe that Qaddafi should go, people need to understand that the purpose of the force we're using is specifically to protect civilians, not to coerce a regime change. The president also needs to clarify how much this operation is going to cost American taxpayers, and how it's going to be paid for. I look forward to the Administration consulting with Congress in more detail on that and other issues related to this operation."

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