[Hoodat]

To use a metaphor suitable for March Madness, Obama blew the fast break.

Worse than that. He let the shot clock run out.

[AU72]

Going with the b-ball metaphor, Obama had the ball and a clear lane to the basket but decided to give another player the basket and passed off to him who didn’t see it coming as the ball went out of bounds.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Back in February when the Libyan revolution was fresh and had momentum on its side, even a small intervention by the U.S. -- say, blowing up the runways at Moammar Gadhafi's military airbases or quietly bribing senior military officers -- might have toppled Gadhafi. Members of his government were resigning en masse. Pilots were refusing orders to kill fellow Libyans. Soldiers were defecting to the rebels. Libyan citizens openly defied the regime in Tripoli. Nearly everyone thought the madman's time was up. That was the time to seize the moment, to give Gadhafi a shove when he was already off-balance.

Totally agree with this.

The Rookie has brought our standing down to the level of France and Italy.

[BobL]

Well, if Obama designed this intervention to fail, then I support him. Look at Egypt - it’s almost certain that the Brotherhood is going to take over...and that is not good for us, not good at all. Why should we expect better in Libya if they kick out Kadaffi.

[bert]

-——quietly bribing senior military officers——

I feel certain that was accomplished. There is a feeling here that it is all up to Obama. There are others that can and do function.....in this case as bribers. Very early on, there were generals depicted in Bengazi said to be siding with the rebels.

It is not up to Obama to do anything. He need not even be involved except for appearances sake to fulfill treaty obligations. The Libyan enterprise is a European effort

The problem is that the plan did not work. The bribing and treachery were unsuccessful........ so far. It is not over and more bribes and more promises can still prevail.

Oh yes, the foreign corrupt practices act prevent any American to bribe a foreign commercial or government official. All we have left is violence

[Huck]

what once seemed like a revolution but now looks like a civil war,

What's the difference?

[Huck]

The US is more like the parachuter who dropped in on a baseball game. It’s not our game to play. We should butt out. But I’m guessing Mr. Goldberg’s got a neocon heart and would never consider sitting out a chance to meddle in someone else’s affairs.

[palmer]

Look at the difference with Mubarik who is an angel in comparison. In his case Obama went straight for the throat before there was any chance of an orderly transition. The result is a quick vote for Muslim Brotherhood. In Libya, there was never as strong a statement by Obama. Obama dithered, perhaps because there was no organized Muslim Brotherhood to step in (yet). Also the (slang for cat) would not do anything without a precious U.N. resolution which he could only get after Gadaffy practically won.

[ripley]

To use that silly, adolescent metaphor they coined last year, “What, he didn’t pivot?”

(What a bunch of maroons.)

IMHO

[Travis McGee]

Blame it on Rio!

[Buckeye McFrog]

by January, 2013 I am going to be SO sick of basketball analogies...

[proudpapa]

Obama should be given a technical for not showing his long form birth certificate.