Posted on 03/21/2011 3:01:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
From this afternoon’s presser in Chile, here’s his attempt to square weeks of “Qaddafi must go” rhetoric with the fact that the resolution passed by the Security Council conspicuously omits any “Qaddafi must go” rhetoric. How to make that add up? If I understand his answer correctly, it’s simple: Emphasize that the U.S. will stay strictly within the parameters of the UN resolution, using military means only to protect Libyan civilians, but note that we’ll continue to use non-military means to force Qaddafi from power. Regime change is still official U.S. policy, in other words; it’s just that we’ll use sanctions and other diplomatic means to implement that policy, even though there are F-22s over Tripoli. Reminds me of Bush 41′s fateful decision not to push on to Baghdad and finish off Saddam after Iraqi troops had been expelled from Kuwait.
If you take this idea seriously, in theory an American pilot who spots Qaddafi’s convoy leaving from his bunker would be forced to let ‘em go lest we violate the strict limits of the UN resolution. Anyone think that would happen, though? Particularly since (a) British bombs have already been falling conspicuously close to Qaddafi’s residence and (b) the entire unspoken strategy of this mission, such as it is, is to knock Qaddafi out quickly so that the rebels can overrun Tripoli and we can go home lickety split. What you’re seeing here, I think, is The One paying lip service to the alleged authority of international “collective action” even while he and his western partners quietly look to skirt that authority by taking out the Mad Dog with a quick strike. The big difference between him and Bush, as the left is learning, isn’t that one’s a cowboy and the other isn’t. It’s that Obama wears his sheriff’s badge on the inside of his vest, in case anyone abroad should see it and get offended.
As expected, with the first days of the air campaign going well, the public has rallied behind him and the mission. Last week, only 56 percent supported a no-fly zone; today, 70 percent do. If the coalition can knock out Qaddafi and the rebels advance quickly to the capital, this’ll be a great political victory for him, no matter how dodgy things eventually turn in Libya. In the meantime, though, he’s working hard to shore up that “international consensus,” phoning treacherous Arab League leaders to keep them onboard with a no-fly zone (with some success) and maybe leaning on his pal Medvedev to politely challenge Putin on the latter’s incendiary comment that this mission looks like a “medieval crusade.” I’m only speculating about O’s possible influence there, but I’m guessing Medvedev wouldn’t dare to correct Russia’s new tsar unless outside forces were pressuring him intensely to do so. The next “consensus” challenge: Getting NATO to take over this mission before Turkish demagoguery scares Italy into kicking the coalition off of its bases. David Cameron’s already talking publicly about a NATO handover. Expect a further push from O the next time he speaks about this too.
NATO really means the US. We will still be responsible for the virtually all of the mission ranging from command and control, logistics, and aircraft—just like we were in Bosnia. How stupid does Obama think we and the rest of the world are?
Obama’s going to offer him a role on Dancing With the Stars...he thinks he’ll go for it.
Britt Hume unloaded on Obammy this afternoon on Special Report, saying that he is playing political tag with the Far left on this, and for right now he only has Dennis Kucinich yapping at his heels, but that won’t last for much longer. But Hume said that the most forceful thing the (P)resident has said so far is to emphasis repeatedly how short this mission would be.
The briefing coming out of Central Africa Command (or whatever its called) is sickening, because it’s clear the General in charge is conflicted on exactly what his mission is.
What happens if US Forces accidentally kill Kadaffy?? If that’s not the mission, will they be charged with his murder?? I don’t trust the Regime on much of anything....
Watch. We will pay the man that killed US citizens. Watch
Sarkozy dragged him into this.
And now the US is getting all the blame.
Way to go, OBozo.
RE: What happens if US Forces accidentally kill Kadaffy??
For that matter where is he? Anybody knows?
I guarantee you someone in Tripoli knows exactly where he is, and the trick is to hurt those around him bad enough to the point where someone changes sides and does something as simple as turning on a cellphone outside the bunker.
I’m convinced we have plenty of Special Forces on the ground trying their very best to find our where that ugly SOB lays his head down at night, so they can put that tiny little laser dot on just the right spot for the B-2s to aim at.
“For every man there exists a bait he cannot resist swallowing.”
Nietzsche
Contrast Obama with the decisiveness of Bush and Reagan. What a weakling.
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.