Obama speech offers clarity on Libya policy

[babylonsister]

Obama speech offers clarity on Libya policy

By David Ignatius, Monday, March 28, 8:41 PM


President Obama declared victory Monday night for his limited military intervention in Libya. After just a week, he said, America has achieved its goal of preventing a slaughter of the rebels. So does that mean Obama is ready to provide similar U.S. military help to besieged protesters down the road in Bahrain, say, or Yemen or Syria?

The answer is probably not — and that was an important but unstated note of realism underlying his attempt to explain what has been a confusing Libya policy. Although Obama came around to supporting a “war of choice” to halt Moammar Gaddafi, sources make clear that he doesn’t see the Libya intervention as a precedent for similar interventions elsewhere in the region.

Obama offered a formula that’s similar to what I heard last week traveling with Defense Secretary Bob Gates: The United States should use military force unilaterally only when it involves core U.S. national interests; in other cases, such as Libya, the United States should act militarily only with the support of its allies. America won’t act as the world’s policeman, in other words. But it’s ready to act as “police chief,” in organizing international peacekeeping operations.

Here’s how Obama put it in one of the speech’s key passages: “American leadership is not simply a matter of going it alone and bearing all the burden ourselves. Real leadership creates the conditions and coalitions for others to step up as well.”

The president doesn’t want to articulate this as an “Obama doctrine” — partly, no doubt, to leave himself maximum wiggle room — but it’s there for all to see. And if there’s any doubt about its roots in Obama’s larger intellectual framework, turn to Page 308 of his 2006 book, “The Audacity of Hope,” where he makes that same distinction between “imminent” core threats that require a unilateral response and ones where a multilateral approach is preferable.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/obama-speech-offers-clarity-on-libya-policy/2011/03/28/AF8Ud8qB_story.html

[Jester Messiah]

1. When did bullshit and doubletalk become the definition of "clarity"?

Libya is none of our f'n concern. Let the French and the Brits get this one.

[Jester Messiah]

2. dupe, delete. [nt]

[daa]

3. Clarity???? Did he say where the $600 million spent so far comes

from? Oh, yeah, Social security and Medicare and Medicaid.

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. Can you prove any portion of what you just said? Link? Transcript?

:shrug:

[daa]

5. Here

http://jonathanturley.org/2011/03/29/libyan-war-now-costs-over-600-million-in-just-six-days/

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/in-reforming-social-security-the-problem-is-not-how-good-the-country-is-the-problem-is-how-good-the-political-system-is

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. could you highlight the relevant passages? Not familiar with those links...Thanks.

[daa]

8. You never heard of Johathon Turley???????????

How about Eric Cantor:

"On the federal level, House Republicans plan to introduce in the coming weeks a budget plan for the next fiscal year that would reduce spending in all areas — including entitlements. Medicaid, and particularly Medicare and Medicaid benefits promised to retirees, make up nearly half of federal expenditures, but have been politically difficult to cut.

Under the Republican plan, people 55 or older would get the Social Security and Medicare they expect. Those younger would not, Cantor said.

"For everyone else, 54 and younger, I think we are realizing that we've got to face facts," Cantor said. "The money's not there.""

[FrenchieCat]

9. Eric Cantor, the Republican????

He'd said that before the UN acted to intervene in Libya!
In fact, that's been his refrain since Pres. Obama put his
hand on the Lincoln bible!

[sad sally]

10. Don't believe he mentioned any specific number, which

probably means this is a freebee.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

11. it came from funds already given to the military

if some news i read a while back was accurate, so as such it didn't come from Social security and Medicare and Medicaid.

[opihimoimoi]

6. He did good.....Palin woulda blown it