Posted on 03/24/2011 5:49:03 AM PDT by Kaslin
"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation," then-presidential candidate Barack Obama said in December 2007.
What a difference a change of job title makes.
"Let's just call a spade a spade. A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates three weeks before President Obama ordered a no-fly zone over -- and other military action against -- Libya.
Like many anti-Iraq War/Bush-is-a-warmonger critics, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., supports the Libyan action. Bush-hater Rachel Maddow of MSNBC rationalized that unlike the bloodthirsty President George W. Bush, you see, Obama ordered the military into action under a different "narrative" -- that is, reluctantly and without zeal. Understand?
The non-unilateralist Nobel Peace Prize laureate Obama, unlike Bush, sought no congressional war resolution. Obama, therefore, ordered military action against Libya "unilaterally" -- without the congressional approval that he once argued the Constitution demanded.
As Obama further explained in his December 2007 statement, "In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent." So a president, according to Obama, does not need congressional authority -- provided the action involves "self-defense" or "stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."
What is the "actual or imminent threat" to America posed by Libya?
Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, spooked bleep-less after our invasion of Iraq, surrendered his WMD. The dictator admitted Libya's complicity in the bombing of the Pan Am plane over Lockerbie and paid financial settlements -- after which the U.S. removed Libya from the list of terror-sponsoring states. The U.S. imports less than 1 percent of its oil from that country. What threat to national security?
Fast-forward to March 2011. Rebels threaten to topple Gadhafi's brutal regime. But the dictator fights back, and unless stopped by outsiders, his military appears poised to put down and slaughter the rebels. Enter Obama. "We cannot stand idly by," he said, "when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy."
Obama thus approves this act of war -- for (SET ITAL) humanitarian (END ITAL) purposes.
But Iraq's Saddam Hussein created a far greater humanitarian nightmare. "The Butcher of Baghdad" slaughtered, at minimum, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis -- far more people than were killed in Bosnia and Kosovo, where President Clinton ordered military force for humanitarian reasons. Yet, when weapons hunters found no stockpiles of WMD in Iraq, the dwindling number of pro-war Democrats turned against the war -- never mind the sickening sight of thousands of Iraqis found in shallow graves.
If U.S. foreign policy dictates intervention during humanitarian crises, why stop with Libya? Why (SET ITAL) start (END ITAL) with Libya?
The list of brutal thug leaders is long. Nearly 40 percent of the world's population lives under un-free, often brutally repressive, governments, and another billion or so people have only partial freedom.
Humanitarian in-harm's-way deployment of the military is treacherous and unpredictable. Consider Somalia ("Black Hawk Down" Battle of Mogadishu in 1993); Lebanon (241 servicemen, mostly Marines, killed when terrorists blew up their barracks in 1983); and Bosnia/Kosovo (President Clinton promised troops out by Christmas 1995).
The purpose of the military is to act on behalf of our national security. We are not the world's hall monitor. Bush-hating Iraq War critics used to say stuff like that -- along with "war is not the answer."
Now, let's revisit the reasons for the -- as pre-President Obama called it -- "stupid" war.
Obama, like virtually everyone else, assumed Saddam possessed stockpiles of WMD while actively pursing a nuclear capability. President Bush sought and obtained congressional authorization. He called Saddam's Iraq a "grave and gathering threat" to our (SET ITAL) national security. (END ITAL)
Ninety percent of Americans, in the dark days following Sept. 11, 2001, expected another attack within a year -- except perhaps this time with chemical or biological weapons. From the "oil-for-food" program, Saddam stole money, possibly re-routing it to terrorists. He financially rewarded families of homicide bombers. We learned, following the Persian Gulf War, that he was much closer to achieving nuclear capability than previously thought. Saddam kicked out the U.N. inspectors sent in to verify the promised dismantling and destruction of the weapons.
That Saddam possessed stockpiles of WMD, having used chemical weapons on the Iranians and his own people, was not in dispute. All 16 U.S. intelligences agencies thought so "with the highest probability." France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Egypt, Jordan, China, Israel -- and even Saddam's own generals -- assumed Iraq possessed WMD. Even U.N. weapons inspector and Iraq War critic Hans Blix thought Saddam likely possessed these weapons. As Blix admitted at a 2004 University of Berkeley forum: 'I'm not here to have gut feelings. But yes, in December 2002 (three months before the invasion) I thought Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.'"
Call Libya the Obama doctrine: non-national security, non-congressionally approved military attacks are perfectly legitimate for humanitarian reasons. Except not for Iraq under President George W. Bush -- who awaits his apology.
hmm where are the human shields?
We should have gone in when they kicked the inspectors out...which was probably while Clinton was still in Power.
Or where is Code Pink?
“Squirm”? LULZ! They are doing backflips, duck-n-cover, tightrope walking, etc.....”squirm”.....bwahahahahaha, hilarious. =.=
Where’s code pink-eye?...
He meant to say, "Republican Presidents do not have the power under the Constitution to . . ."
Do not wait for any apologies to former President Bush. For anyone to “apologize” to President Bush is for them to admit (horrors) that they were wrong and misjudged everything.
Democrats, “peaceniks”, academics, and the graduates of the Joseph Goebbels School of Journalism, who populate today’s media, are incapable and/or unwilling to admit anything uncomfortable.
Besides he/she who fails to adhere to the “official” line is drummed out of the human race.
Yes is was in 1998 under Clinton when the inspectors were kicked out by Saddam.
reality has spoiled the day for many a liberal.
too bad real life isnt as simple as the one viewed through coffee houses and community centers.
Oh we know know it’s never going to happen, but history has already proven, that President Bush was right
so Obama want US to be the world police man, the charge that ppl used to attack Bush with
Yes. I never understood why we didn't take action the second time the cease fire was violated. Seemed to me that was justification enough right there. If you're going to take such a stand, you have to mean it, or else don't do it.
Has it escaped you that the rats do exactly what they accuse others of doing? That is why they are known as hypocrites
Being “anti-war” was simply a justification for being irrationally anti-Bush.
So remember, too....Iraq had actually attacked another country. Libya is a civil war. So who is the enemy?? This is a 97% Muslim country. Democracy is a joke...
Rush wondered if the military had contingency plans to remove a pResident
if they do not, should they ?
To ask us to reconcile Obama’s policy and ignore the hypocrisy is the clearest example of doublethink I’ve seen in a long time. I’m supposed to think strikes such as this are right and wrong at the same time.
Liberal Talk radio host, Bill Press two days ago was calling this the “most successful military operation in this history of the United States”. That is how obsessed they are with propping up Obama.
This aint over by a long shot Mr. Press. Qaddafi has stepped up his assault on rebel forces, and still violating the no-fly zone. Check this mornings FOX News. It very well could take “boots on the ground” to remove him - if that is the objective, and no one in the white house is being clear on what the objective really is.
You have got to be kidding. What a moron
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