An incensed Democrat, reading over the statements from Republicans on Libya today, notes a fairly surprising fact: They almost uniformly downplay not just Obama's role, but the role of pilots and sailors, who played a central role in the operation.

Both Rick Perry's and Mitt Romney's statements lack even the customary reference to the troops, as does Jon Huntsman's.

Statements from -- other leading GOP figures Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Roy Blunt; and Reps. John Boehner, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Ed Royce -- also lack any reference to the American servicemen and women in the Libya conflict, as do statements from 

An almost lone exception: Senator Marco Rubio, who said, "We are impressed with the tenacity of the Libyan people in reclaiming their freedoms and honor the service of American and NATO forces that courageously assisted on this endeavor."

There's an element, perhaps, of messaging here: The official line in this, as in all of the Arab revolutions, is that the people did it themselves.

But the White House, though it's been careful to give the Libyans primary credit for the victory, was more explicit on the extensive U.S. role that has, after all, been the target of extensive GOP criticism.

"For nearly eight months, many Americans have provided extraordinary service in support of our efforts to protect the Libyan people, and to provide them with a chance to determine their own destiny. Our skilled diplomats have helped to lead an unprecedented global response. Our brave pilots have flown in Libya’s skies, our sailors have provided support off Libya’s shores, and our leadership at NATO has helped guide our coalition. Without putting a single U.S. service member on the ground, we achieved our objectives, and our NATO mission will soon come to an end," Obama said today.