Posted on 08/22/2011 1:02:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Moammar Kadafi’s fall from power would be a vindication of the Obama administration’s strategy in Libya after the president endured months of criticism for “leading from behind” and letting European allies take a more upfront role in fighting Kadafi’s forces, a former adviser to Obama said.
“The administration is entirely vindicated,’’ said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution who has advised three presidents on the Middle East and south Asia. “They said from the beginning that the primary actor here needed to be the Libyans and they weren’t going to put boots on the ground.’’
After briefly taking the primary role in establishing a no-fly zone in March to suppress Kadafi’s air defenses, the U.S. stepped back and let the Europeans “be the lead element,’’ Riedel said.
Obama’s strategy was quickly declared a failure by his Republican critics, who said the U.S. was guilty of doing too little, too late to topple Kadafi.
“A lot of naysayers said we’d end up with a quagmire or stalemate,” Riedel said. “Today, that doesn’t appear to be the case. The administration will rightly say their approach turned out to be a better estimate of the balance of forces in Libya than many pundits thought.’’
By virtue of the administration’s strategy, ensuring a peaceful post-Kadafi future is not the sole responsibility of the U.S., Riedel said. Other European countries now have a larger stake in the next phase of the Libyan story.
“The Obama administration from the beginning has wisely seen this as not America’s baby to solve. Frankly, there are others who have much greater equities here.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
OK so if I go rob a million dollars all my problems would be solved. It’s illegal but by following Obama’s lead that shouldn’t matter. Right?
So “it worked” is now an official substitute for “it’s the right thing to do” to the dems...
Okay - gotcha.
“...and they weren’t going to put boots on the ground.”
So the ‘Rebels’ were painting targets for smart bombs? At least one of the targets was a moving ship...not exactly the kind of thing you program coordinates into.
Some western nation had ‘boots on the ground’ in this ‘kinetic action’.
Obama administration always counting their chickens before they hatch , it’s not over until the fat mullah sings
Vindicated? Hardly. In fact, since Obama used taxpayer money and the might of the US military under the guise of NATO to topple a sovereign nation whom we were not at war with in direct violation of the war powers act, nor posed a clear and present danger to US national security, it makes him a full fledged war criminal.
We need to help that hijacker over too. Where´s he now?
_________________________
Pretty sure you are referencing the bomber of Flight 103?
I don’t think Ali al-Megrahi has anything to fear from the new overlords in Libya. He will still be a hero to them just as he was to Quaddafi. That is the problem that Bush, Obama, and their ilk don’t understand.
If you give inmates in a prison the right of self-determination you probably won’t like the results. Most people in the Middle East are poor, ignorant, and follow a radical religion. The educated and enlightened are as powerless as Conservatives in San Francisco.
Middle Eastern Democracy will probably not produce good results for the U.S., Israel, or Western interests.
It’s a fair generalization and that is why the “Arab Spring” will cause massive bloodshed in the future.
Think of each of these Arab/Muslim countries as a pit bull. Each dog individually with a strong owner and a good leash would not worry you too much.
However, take several pit bulls without strong owners and no leash and you now have the “Arab Spring”. Odds are good that the pack mentality (radical Islam) is going to cause something bad to happen. Don’t forget, we still have more “stable” Islamic governments that may also be overthrown (i.e. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia).
Bush couldn't kill BinLadin, but Obama did...
Reagan couldn't kill Gaddafi, but Obama did...
Carter couldn't kill our Economy, but Obama did.
I´m talking about putting a missile up his hindquarters.
I´m talking about putting a missile up his hindquarters.
_______________________________
That would make me a happy man indeed. I would also love to see the politicians in Scotland and England who got paid off to release him put in jail!
Obama is clearly the greatest military leader of African origin since Hannibal, if not since Thutmosis III.
Mission Accomplished!
Mission Accomplished!
Words you will never ever hear from Riedel about anything Bush did.
We'll see how "entirely vindicated" Obama's illegal War Powers Act violations are when we see how "free" Libya is under the new constitution making Sharia the law of the land.
Driving the train from the caboose. Victory for Shari’a Law and the Muslim Brotherhood (aka AQ), engineered by Hill & Huma at the State Department.
If O want s to take credit I’ll wait until all the nations that will attack Israel per prophecy are in the hands of Sharia law. Libya, Egypt, and then Syria all lining up as per prophecy. O is indeed working to set up the attack.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.