It’s often not what you say, but how you say it and how you back up your words that really matter. For example, “Saint Ronald the Actor” spoke with such authority that he was able to tame the Russian bear. And with a single decisive air raid he silenced “Gadhafi the Terrorist” for almost 25 years. On the other hand, our current president argues like the lawyer he is, full of rhetoric, convincingly but without conviction, defending one cause one day and another the next. Then he leaves it to the jury to take the desired action on his utopian words. For example, a timetable for quitting Iraq (14 months as I remember) in Obama’s 2008 platform helped get him elected. Yet, 26 months after swearing him in, the Iraqis have still not cooperated. Then after arguing eloquently for much-needed reform in our nation’s health care, he abandoned it to the Democrat-controlled Congress which turned his rhetoric into an onerous medical insurance bill. To his credit, though, the massive oil spill that menaced our Gulf coast last year did eventually abate after he spoke out strongly against it. So, as revolt spread across Libya three weeks ago, our current president forcefully demanded the ouster of “Gadhafi the Inhumane,” only to witness the failure of the righteous rebels to make it happen. Then, just as forcefully, he called for and got the United Nations to endorse a massive humanitarian military effort to protect life there. One wonders how many Libyans will die before the humanitarian effort is finally declared a success. Who will rule what is left of Libya when it’s all over? And most importantly, where is the real leadership our nation needs in these perilous times?
The USA has "Formally Declared War" only 5 times... The War of 1812, The Mexican-American War, The Spanish-American War, WW1 & WW2.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
FACT CHECK: How Obama's Libya claims fit the facts(AP) – 11 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — There may be less than meets the eye to President Barack Obama's statements Monday night that NATO is taking over from the U.S. in Libya and that U.S. action is limited to defending people under attack there by Moammar Gadhafi's forces.
In transferring command and control to NATO, the U.S. is turning the reins over to an organization dominated by the U.S., both militarily and politically. In essence, the U.S. runs the show that is taking over running the show.
And the rapid advance of rebels in recent days strongly suggests they are not merely benefiting from military aid in a defensive crouch, but rather using the multinational force in some fashion — coordinated or not — to advance an offensive.
Here is a look at some of Obama's assertions in his address to the nation Monday, and how they compare with the facts:
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OBAMA: "Our most effective alliance, NATO, has taken command of the enforcement of the arms embargo and no-fly zone. ... Going forward, the lead in enforcing the no-fly zone and protecting civilians on the ground will transition to our allies and partners, and I am fully confident that our coalition will keep the pressure on Gadhafi's remaining forces. In that effort, the United States will play a supporting role."
THE FACTS: As by far the pre-eminent player in NATO, and a nation historically reluctant to put its forces under operational foreign command, the United States will not be taking a back seat in the campaign even as its profile diminishes for public consumption.
NATO partners are bringing more into the fight. But the same "unique capabilities" that made the U.S. the inevitable leader out of the gate will continue to be in demand. They include a range of attack aircraft, refueling tankers that can keep aircraft airborne for lengthy periods, surveillance aircraft that can detect when Libyans even try to get a plane airborne, and, as Obama said, planes loaded with electronic gear that can gather intelligence or jam enemy communications and radars.
The United States supplies 22 percent of NATO's budget, almost as much as the next largest contributors — Britain and France — combined. A Canadian three-star general was selected to be in charge of all NATO operations in Libya. His boss, the commander of NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Naples, is an American admiral, and the admiral's boss is the supreme allied commander Europe, a post always held by an American.
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OBAMA: "Our military mission is narrowly focused on saving lives."
THE FACTS: Even as the U.S. steps back as the nominal leader, reduces some assets and fires a declining number of cruise missiles, the scope of the mission appears to be expanding and the end game remains unclear.
Despite insistences that the operation is only to protect civilians, the airstrikes now are undeniably helping the rebels to advance. U.S. officials acknowledge that the effect of air attacks on Gadhafi's forces — and on the supply and communications links that support them — is useful if not crucial to the rebels. "Clearly they're achieving a benefit from the actions that we're taking," Navy Vice Adm. William Gortney, staff director for the Joint Chiefs, said Monday.
The Pentagon has been turning to air power of a kind more useful than high-flying bombers in engaging Libyan ground forces. So far these have included low-flying Air Force AC-130 and A-10 attack aircraft, and the Pentagon is considering adding armed drones and helicopters.
Obama said "we continue to pursue the broader goal of a Libya that belongs not to a dictator, but to its people," but spoke of achieving that through diplomacy and political pressure, not force of U.S. arms.
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OBAMA: Seeking to justify military intervention, the president said the U.S. has "an important strategic interest in preventing Gadhafi from overrunning those who oppose him. A massacre would have driven thousands of additional refugees across Libya's borders, putting enormous strains on the peaceful — yet fragile — transitions in Egypt and Tunisia." He added: "I am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would have carried a far greater price for America."
THE FACTS: Obama did not wait to make that case to Congress, despite his past statements that presidents should get congressional authorization before taking the country to war, absent a threat to the nation that cannot wait.
"The president does not have the 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," he told The Boston Globe in 2007 in his presidential campaign. "History has shown us time and again ... that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the legislative branch."
Obama's defense secretary, Robert Gates, said Sunday that the crisis in Libya "was not a vital national interest to the United States, but it was an interest."
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OBAMA: "And tonight, I can report that we have stopped Gadhafi's deadly advance."
THE FACTS: The weeklong international barrage has disabled Libya's air defenses, communications networks and supply chains. But Gadhafi's ground forces remain a potent threat to the rebels and civilians, according to U.S. military officials.
Army Gen. Carter Ham, the top American officer overseeing the mission, told The New York Times on Monday that "the regime still overmatches opposition forces militarily. The regime possesses the capability to roll them back very quickly. Coalition air power is the major reason that has not happened."
Only small numbers of Gadhafi's troops have defected to the opposition, Ham said.
At the Pentagon, Vice Adm. William Gortney, staff director for the Joint Chiefs, said the rebels are not well organized. "It is not a very robust organization," he said. "So any gain that they make is tenuous based on that."
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OBAMA: "Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action."
THE FACTS: Mass violence against civilians has also been escalating elsewhere, without any U.S. military intervention anticipated.
More than 1 million people have fled the Ivory Coast, where the U.N. says forces loyal to the incumbent leader, Laurent Gbagbo, have used heavy weapons against the population and more than 460 killings have been confirmed of supporters of the internationally recognized president, Alassane Ouattara.
The Obama administration says Gbagbo and Gadhafi have both lost their legitimacy to rule. But only one is under attack from the U.S.
Presidents typically pick their fights according to the crisis and circumstances at hand, not any consistent doctrine about when to use force in one place and not another. They have been criticized for doing so — by Obama himself.
In his pre-presidential book "The Audacity of Hope," Obama said the U.S. will lack international legitimacy if it intervenes militarily "without a well-articulated strategy that the public supports and the world understands."
He questioned: "Why invade Iraq and not North Korea or Burma? Why intervene in Bosnia and not Darfur?"
Now, such questions are coming at him.
Associated Press writers Jim Drinkard and Robert Burns contributed to this report.
Lejeune Marines prepare to deploy off Libyan coast CAMP LEJEUNE (WTVD) -- Twenty-two hundred Marines and sailors from Camp Lejeune are preparing to deploy off the coast of Libya in northern Africa. They said goodbye to their families Monday afternoon, and they'll be leaving in the days ahead.
"There's always in the back of your mind what if, what could happen," Marine wife Carrie Cochran said.
Cochran, like the other wives, is confident her Marine is prepared for the mission.
"As long as he knows how to do his job and he keeps his concentration going, he can take care of his Marines then he can bring everybody home," Cochran said.
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit was set to deploy to the Mediterranean later this year but that got bumped up once NATO forces launched an air assault on Libya.
The unit is relieving the 26th MEU, which took part in some of the initial assaults. The 22nd is a Marine, air and ground task force. Some are trained for aviation combat, others for ground combat. They can handle evacuations and humanitarian missions too.
Whatever the president decides, Cochran's husband, Sergeant Lewis Cochran, says he told his little boy, Dylan, he's ready.
"My Marines, all the Marines the whole PLT is ready to go," Sgt. Cochran said.
"And I'm not gonna like it," 3-year-old Dylan said. "I'm not gonna like it when daddy gets on a big boat."
Sgt. Cochran may not be here for Dylan's 4th birthday next week but like other Camp Lejeune Marines, he'll never be far from his heart.
The Marines and sailors are being bused to the Morehead City Port Monday evening. They'll board the USS Bataan and set sail for Libya in a few days.
MARCH 29, 2011 URGENT CALL TO ACTION TODAY IN HARLEM!
HOLD OBAMA ACCOUNTABLE
ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATION
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 in Harlem 5 PM – 8 PM Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd (Between 125th & 126th Streets) The Obama Doctrine: Bombing Libya for “Regime Change” & Oil.
On March 29th Obama attends a $30,000 plate dinner in the gentrified up-scale Red Rooster. Harlem’s annual median income is $25,000 less than the $30,000 plate dinner for one night. Nearly 50% of Black men in NYC are jobless. A cruise missile cost $1 million each. 126 cruise missiles were fired on Libya the first day.
Verbage ? WAR ? - When did we ever declare war on Viet Nam ?
We didn't. It was called a 'conflict'. Just like Libya is called an 'action'. Like Iraq was a 'military campaign'.
So ANY president, dem or rep......can bomb, kill, overtake and invade ANY country for ANY reason.......and they have, and they do, and they will!
Nothing has stopped them in the past.......nothing is obviously stopping them today, and they will continue in the future!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Verbage ? WAR ? - When did we ever declare war on Viet Nam ?
That was my point to Box. Changing the name of troops stationed in Iraq to "security" "training" "support" troops, doesn't change the fact they are U.S. Troops. Many of which are paramilitary mercenaries.
War, aka Conflict/Kinetic Military Action/Support Role/Advisors/Coalition Forces/No Fly Zone/Provide Air Support/Unilateral/Multinational/Nato/U.N. Peacekeeping/Humanitarian Mission/Prevent Ethnic Cleansing/Regime Change - these are all the different words that American military actions are sold under by our leaders. The American people couldn't stomach "WAR" since WWII, so our leaders have been clever enough to disguise war with many nuanced description of military action without using the word "war". And the sheeple like Box regurgitate the words of their chosen leaders like it is gospel.(Only if it's a Democrat)
changing('forcefully') what a people do/does IS war......to push humankind's mind toward anything in a violent way IS war.....and it will ALWAYS exist... why? because MY humankind mind MUST survive....regardless of 'war'......get it.........????
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
More U.S. bombs falling on an Arab nation? After several years of Iraq and Afghanistan, with well over 100,000 killed and stability in neither place, we have found more people to “protect”? The president has stated [Moammar] Gadhafi “must go,” yet the U.N. mandate calls only for stopping civilian attacks. Apparently, the “leaders” of this coalition are hoping for his downfall, but have no plan as to who will take over — NATO, the United Nations or an armed mob of rebels. Stupid statements by Obama — that Americans can be “at ease” because we are “saving civilians” — don’t help, either. We haven’t saved anyone yet — including ourselves — for getting involved in a civil war that in no way threatened the United States and that we cannot afford. The president acted illegally, without consulting Congress and without the consent of the American people. For these reasons, Rep. Tim Johnson of Illinois wants to stop funding for operations in Libya. This should happen, or before anyone knows it, we will have ground forces there, suicide bombings, and everything else disastrous that has come with Iraq and Afghanistan. Unless that’s what Americans want.
The "anti-war candidate" puts some multilateral lipstick on George W. Bush's war pig
...And for those Democrats who are either cheering on or grimly supporting the president's actions, just remember this: Unless a Ron Paul-type miraculously emerges from the GOP field, the next Republican president now has an even lower bar than before when it comes to launching a preemptive war. There's a reason why the biggest fans of last night's speech were hawks like William Kristol: If you didn't like Iraq, you really won't like Iran. And when that day comes, please don't debase yourselves by crying crocodile tears over the Constitution, or pretending for even one second you are anti-war.
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