tom d. friedman wrote:
ok....... spelling bee time!!! how do you spell his name correctly?? all tv & news media use different spellings!! which one is official & correct?? and another question....... if he is the leader of libya why is he ranked as a colonel & not a general, or supreme commander, grand poobah, or # 1 nutso!! as the head of the nation of libya for 40 years he definetely deserves a promotion beyond the rank of colonel!!

Transliteration from Arabic (or whatever mush-mouth tribal dialect he actually speaks) is difficult at best.
Stalin was easier to say than Jughashvili, and Nutcase is easier to spell than Quadaffy.
I think the 'Colonel' is an honorific, much like the CAF. He was a Captain when he came to power, so he DID skip Major and light on the way.