Result: if we don’t intercede, we are whiner baby weaklings. If we intercede and fail, we are loser weaklings. If we intercede and have any kind of success, we are dumb-a$$ weaklings who had to be pushed into by FRANCE. (I think this last would be the worst of all possible outcomes.)

Obama shoots his mouth off using a gun loaded with blanks. Problem is, at that range, blanks can kill.

Cricket624 on March 18, 2011 at 11:03 AM

Sen. Rubio has this exactly right–why did we wait for the UN before intervening?

About 10 days ago, Kadhafi (or however he spells it) was holed up in Tripoli, and the rebels controlled most of the rest of the country, and were demanding a no-fly zone, which would have kept Kadhafi’s forces at bay, giving the rebels the time to consolidate their forward positions, obtain more weaponry (possibly from the Arab League) and mount an assault on Tripoli. This would have also given the West the time to find out WHO the rebels are, what kind of government they would set up if they ousted Kadhafi, and whether we should be supporting them. If they turned out to be Muslim Brotherhood, we could always pull the rug out from them later and let Kadhafi stay in power, as the lesser of two evils.

But by waiting, we have let Kadhafi’s forces overrun all but one major city (Baghazi) in Libya, where the rebels are still holed up awaiting the siege from Kadhafi’s forces, and Kadhafi now controls the oil refineries. Air-power alone (without boots on the ground) can’t TAKE BACK lost cities, and do the rebels have enough guns and boots on the ground? This could be a long war, as the rebels need to resort to urban warfare while NATO tries to keep Kadhafi’s tanks and planes out of cities in central and eastern Libya. Had we acted 10 days ago, it could have been a short war, a battle for one city on the shores of Tripoli.

I would be fine with assassinating Qaddafi and his entire family for Lockerbie. In fact I DEMAND revenge!

I’m pretty sure he was being sarcastic.

RINO in Name Only on March 18, 2011 at 11:17 AM

That’s not his normal modus operandi when commenting on conservative principles and lauding liberal principles, now is it? Besides what does it matter what he says, when Barack Obambi can say the US military can’t win its wars, but by all means, let the people of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and Bahrain rise up and slay their oppressors…., and Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Hillary Clinton can say our Generals are liars and our wars are not worth fighting??? It doesn’t say much when that happens. My troops REMEMBER those lines every day of their lives.

When sesqui speaks it usually parrots a liberal line. It wouldn’t know a war or a cakewalk if it sat on one….

Subsunk

Is this really a good thing? Do we want to set a precedent of sanctioning Middle Eastern nations who arm rebels in neighboring countries?

It’s a fine thing. And we aren’t setting that precedent. We are setting the precedent of sanctioning Middle-eastern countries arming rebels when we support said rebels.

When Iran starts shipping weapons into Saudi Arabia, will we still be in favor of this tactic?

hawksruleva on March 18, 2011 at 10:04 AM

No, but what does that have to do with anything?

I support our soldiers using guns and bombs to kill our enemies. Yet, somehow, I do not support our enemies using guns and bombs to kill our soldiers. I have no difficulty reconciling those two principles, so why should this be any different?

it’s gonna be a cakewalk.

sesquipedalian on March 17, 2011 at 9:42 PM

I’ll remember you said that……

Subsunk

Subsunk on March 18, 2011 at 10:48 AM

I’m pretty sure he was being sarcastic.

Is this really a good thing? Do we want to set a precedent of sanctioning Middle Eastern nations who arm rebels in neighboring countries? When Iran starts shipping weapons into Saudi Arabia, will we still be in favor of this tactic?

hawksruleva on March 18, 2011 at 10:04 AM

It worked in bringing down the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, inhibiting the Nicaraguan support for Leftists in El Salvador through support for the Contras (and Nicaragua is leftist, but democratic today), brought down several friendly regimes thru Chinese, Soviet Cuban intervention thru arms supply and training to rebels, and almost worked in Colombia, Peru.

If our enemies are going to do that anyway, war by proxy, then why should we eliminate that tool from our arsenal. It is cheaper and better than using US personnel to do any of the fighting.

Just because some of our own weapons eventually get used against us is irrelevant. Because our enemies will get the latest Russian and Chinese, and even Israeli equipment to use against us anyway.

America has never lacked for adversaries with sophisticated weapons. We just have to be smarter about what we give away. Especially since giving the rebels AK-47s is more likely what we would do. We have lots of older Russian stuff, or even new Russian stuff that we simply pay for, and then allow Russians to deliver to the rebels through our allies. That way none of our stuff is deliverately available to use against us. They can get it from the lowest bidder anyway. Why not make friends with our Russian “allies” in exchange for taking the problem off our hands.

Just because Martin Sheen didn’t like the School of the Americas doesn’t mean the training was incorrect or ineffective.

Subsunk

The president of the United States has specifically said Qaddafi must go, but has done nothing since saying that, except have internal debates about it for a week-and-a half or two.”…

Let me add my voice to those who argue that the real point is not whether we should intercede in Libya, but the need to remain vocally aloof when we have no intention to intercede. Bush made this mistake with the Kurds and they rose up in the expectation that we would back them after having kicked Saddam out of Kuwait. Now, proving that Harvard profs never let their opinions be sullied by the lessons of history, Obama went and did the same damn thing.

Result: if we don’t intercede, we are whiner baby weaklings. If we intercede and fail, we are loser weaklings. If we intercede and have any kind of success, we are dumb-a$$ weaklings who had to be pushed into by FRANCE. (I think this last would be the worst of all possible outcomes.)

Obama shoots his mouth off using a gun loaded with blanks. Problem is, at that range, blanks can kill.

it’s gonna be a cakewalk.

sesquipedalian on March 17, 2011 at 9:42 PM

I’ll remember you said that……

Subsunk

A good question. It should have been done sooner, but do you think there should be a statute of limitations on murdering Americans?

sharrukin on March 17, 2011 at 9:14 PM

Reagan bombed Qaddafi for murdering Americans almost 30 years ago. Bush made Qaddafi surrender his pathetic nuclear program 8 years ago. Qaddafi is now a joke. Do you think that there should be a statute of limitations for doing what’s in our rational self interests? What replaces Qaddaffi if we destroy his government?

It’s insane to borrow more money from our grandchildren in order to pick sides between an Islamic tyrant and militant Islamic socialists and then justify it by of all things: calls from the UN and Arab League. If we lose our minds and credibility like this, we lose our liberty.

Egypt’s military has begun shipping arms over the border to Libyan rebels with Washington’s knowledge, U.S. and Libyan rebel officials said…

Is this really a good thing? Do we want to set a precedent of sanctioning Middle Eastern nations who arm rebels in neighboring countries? When Iran starts shipping weapons into Saudi Arabia, will we still be in favor of this tactic?

Heh :)

but a movement devoted to cutting spending can’t be uniformly thrilled with another “world policeman” excursion.

They’re just a bunch of Jews Arabs. Who cares?

Enjoy South America, Barack.

Sometimes it feels that Obama is merely a voluntary figurehead who just tells his minions to “handle it, handle it”

I haven’t read any comments but I personally didn’t want The Won to project to the Libyans that Americans were interested in their freedom and then do nothing. If he didn’t want to get involved than he shouldn’t have thumped his chest and talked about nooses tightening.

Cindy Munford on March 17, 2011 at 11:41 PM

He also said that Daffy must go. It is a rock and a hard place to be in, but that’s what you sign up for to be President of the free world. Making the right call–in this case giving an assist to the Libyan rebel force is the one he should make. This isn’t like Egypt where the worse they had to deal with was getting whipped by camel jockeys. This is the big one. Obama just can’t speak pretty words and retreat behind the curtain to check on his NCAA picks and go pack for his trip to Rio.

I’m 100% with Rubio on this one. He’s got the mojo.