U.S. Declares War on Libya! Good Idea?

[RCG Trader]

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

Let's at least be honest about what's going on here. The French and Brits see a golden opportunity to grab Libya's oil. Of course, they don't really have the military assets to do it or the will, so they coopt us into doing the dirty work.

Obama sees a golden opportunity to look tough, with no real fear of a defeat or many casualties. In short, an opportunity to be a bully. He sees it as insulation against republican attacks that he is weak or not a credible leader on defense issues. Just as Bill Clinton exploited the Bosnian situation.

Obama also has to deal with the annoying problem of Hillary Clinton, who has made this her signature issue and who has her lackeys out busily backstabbing her president for dithering on an issue that could get her the long-coveted Nobel Prize.

In short, this has nothing to do with the stated justifications and everything to do with politics.

A republican party with real leaders would be on top of this, demanding that the president justify ignoring the Constitution and preparing Articles of Impeachment. Instead, we have the spectacle of John McCain going on TV and lamenting that Obama didn't get us into this mess sooner.

+1 billion!

This is so brazenly obvious that it is shameful. All world governments have to do say the US, hey, they said your mama is whore, and here comes the Ronald Reagan, the Eisenhower, and the few and the proud. The military was not designed to be used this way. Our charter is to have the strongest military in the world as deterrence, not as an imperial war machine!

 

[TGregg]

It also reminds me of the time when Bush urged the Kurds to rebel against Saddam. They did, hoping for support. We watched a little, then said "Pfft" and turned away. They got slaughtered.

I wonder if that's the plan. Offer just enough aid to appear to help the rebels but not so much that they win. Let them get wiped out, The One gets his war stripe, everybody gets oil, Qaddafi gets to stay in power with less troublemakers and bonus reps for standing up to The Great Satan. Stability is (re)achieved.

Sucks to be the rebels, but everybody else wins.

 

[cohen2011]

I voted for:
Yeah! Kill 'em all! Git some! U.S.A.!!!

 

[Rearden Metal]

Quote from cohen2011:

I voted for:
Yeah! Kill 'em all! Git some! U.S.A.!!!

Silly Candletrader.

 

[TGregg]

Quote from TGregg:

It also reminds me of the time when Bush urged the Kurds to rebel against Saddam. They did, hoping for support. We watched a little, then said "Pfft" and turned away. They got slaughtered.

I wonder if that's the plan. Offer just enough aid to appear to help the rebels but not so much that they win. Let them get wiped out, The One gets his war stripe, everybody gets oil, Qaddafi gets to stay in power with less troublemakers and bonus reps for standing up to The Great Satan. Stability is (re)achieved.

Sucks to be the rebels, but everybody else wins.

France's defense minister declared that without full American participation, the West probably would not be able to stop attacks by Gadhafi loyalists on besieged rebel cities.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/uc_us_libya

 

[pspr]

Quote from TGregg:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/uc_us_libya

You're telling me that no combination of countries in NATO has enough of an air force to stop Gaddafi? It sounds like we are carrying way too much of the "protect europe" load.

 

[377OHMS]

Quote from TGregg:

It also reminds me of the time when Bush urged the Kurds to rebel against Saddam. They did, hoping for support. We watched a little, then said "Pfft" and turned away. They got slaughtered.

I wonder if that's the plan. Offer just enough aid to appear to help the rebels but not so much that they win. Let them get wiped out, The One gets his war stripe, everybody gets oil, Qaddafi gets to stay in power with less troublemakers and bonus reps for standing up to The Great Satan. Stability is (re)achieved.

Sucks to be the rebels, but everybody else wins.

People starve to death in North Korea but we kick Libya's ass to "protect Libyan citizens".

Solve the Korean problem Mr. Obama.

Massively increase food aid. Covertly attempt to assassinate Kim Jong Il. Buy off the generals. Supply the south with drones and every other modern weapon imaginable.

The Hermit State is slaughtering its "citizens" by starvation.

Fuck Libya. They have full bellys and want for nothing except some political notion of freedom.