Hillary was key to decision to take military action in Libya

[Bluebear]

Interestingly, it was three women who convinced the President to take military action - and number of the guys were against it:

The change became possible, though, only after Mrs. Clinton joined Samantha Power, a senior aide at the National Security Council, and Susan Rice, Mr. Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, who had been pressing the case for military action, according to senior administration officials speaking only on condition of anonymity. Ms. Power is a former journalist and human rights advocate; Ms. Rice was an Africa adviser to President Clinton when the United States failed to intervene to stop the Rwanda genocide, which Mr. Clinton has called his biggest regret.

In joining Ms. Rice and Ms. Power, Mrs. Clinton made an unusual break with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, who, along with the national security adviser, Thomas E. Donilon, and the counterterrorism chief, John O. Brennan, had urged caution.

http://www.americablog.com/2011/03/hillary-was-key-to-decision-to-take.html

[Joe the Revelator]

1. This may change the minds of some here.

[EFerrari]

5. There's never been more than a sliver of difference that I could find

between Obama's and Clinton's positions.

[Motown_Johnny]

2. So if this goes sideways we can blame the women?

I'm kidding

I'M KIDDING!!!

[tekisui]

3. I have long respected Samatha Power.

[EFerrari]

9. After watching Susan Rice quash the Security Council discussion

on the massive human rights abuses of the Honduran coupsters, she was toast to me.

And still today, journalists, trade unionists, going missing and dead there.

[malaise]

20. Hawks Inc.

I dislike the leaders of this planet more by the day.

[tekisui]

26. Did Samatha Power play a role it that?

I am asking, as I honestly don't know.

[joshcryer]

10. You know when Samatha Power gets involved that there's something to it.

[Posteritatis]

11. Definitely

I was ecstatic when I found out she was getting a position in this administration.

(I admit I'm kind of liking the Dallaire influence I saw all over Res. 1973, too.)

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Did you like it when she called Hillary Clinton "a Monster"?

Sorta bugged me a bit...

[Posteritatis]

22. Clearly that means she's wrong about everything ever, right? (nt)

[tekisui]

25. Like isn't the word I would use.

It didn't totally turn me off to her. I wish she hadn't said it because it created a distraction and get her put in the penalty box.

[GSLevel9]

4. supposedly the French and Brits

were pressuring the US for action. The Germans and Russians were against action. Obama was in the middle until he wasn't.

[ClarkUSA]

6. Nice spin, but Vice President Biden was also for intervention.

Biden has far more foreign policy experience than Hillary, after all. He's also the one who overruled Hillary's ill-adviced drive to have Pres. Obama surge 80K more troops into Afghanistan for 10+ years (she was 100% in Gen. McChrystal's corner). In the end, Biden convinced Pres. Obama that a lighter footprint via predator drones and a shorter timelime was a better idea.

[pinboy3niner]

27. Another source has the same account:

But, while listening intently to Gates, Obama's mind was open. While he and his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, were sceptical, even as late as Sunday, on whether military action was desirable, they did not rule it out. When Gaddafi then appeared to be pushing back the rebels, Clinton changed course and formed an alliance with a handful of aides to turn the president's head.

With Samantha Power, a senior aide at the National Security Council and Susan Rice, Obama's ambassador to the UN, the three women countered Gates's arguments that Libya was a risk not worth taking. They were able to show Obama that the Arab world wanted action, and while the president seemed at times more concerned with unfolding events in Yemen – where the American Fifth Fleet is docked – he was persuaded within 24 hours of the case for action.


Endgame in Libya: how the world called time on Gaddafi
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/19/endgame-libya-world-time-gaddafi

[leftstreet]

7. What recommendations did over 16 US Intel agencies make to avoid this?

:shrug:

United States Intelligence Community

Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Independent Agencies
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
United States Department of Defense
Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (AF ISR)
Air Force Office of Special Investigations
Army Criminal Investigation Command (Army CID)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Marine Corps Intelligence Activity <3>
Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army) <4>
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
National Security Agency (NSA)
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)
United States Department of Energy
Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Secret Service
Coast Guard Intelligence <5>
Office of Intelligence and Analysis
Coast Guard Investigative Service
United States Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Directorate of Intelligence
Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of National Security Intelligence (DEA)
United States Department of State
Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR)
United States Department of the Treasury
Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_intelligence_agencies

Kinda makes ya wonder

[DURHAM D]

8. Oh please. This seems like a preemptive attempt to remove any blame from Obama

in case this goes wrong. I will hand it to Obama's guys - they cover all their bases. Guess they don't realize that at the end of the day this sort of "leak" makes Obama look like he is not in charge.

The Vagina War Monologues?

[tabatha]

12. How do you know it is not true?

I have seen something similar on BBC, that Hillary was close to tearing her hair out getting Obama to go along.

[DURHAM D]

13. Please see post #7 above.

[tabatha]

19. What does the Coast Guard have to do with it?

[vaberella]

14. I guess you do have other intentions then sincerity in regards to Obama.

"blame Obama" for what? How in the hell does this remove any "supposed" blame on Obama? ugh.

[karynnj]

15. Actually it isn't

The NYT has been uncredibly supportive of Clinton, who they endorsed in the primaries. They loved her as First Lady - and wrote endless puff pieces on her in the Senate - even before she had time to do anything.

I think BOTH Obama and Clinton changed their minds in teh last few days. I suspect that rather than one influencing the other - but changed the opinion they had for about 3 weeks because the Arab League requested the intervention -- and that is a bug deal.

Even if the time line is right - maybe Rice and Powers should get the credit (or blame) for persuading Clinton to take the position they had 2 and a half weeks earlier.

The fact also is that there was a more negative article yesterday - that claimed that Clinton was annoyed that Obama was not doing anything - and it was sourced to Clinton aides. (That led to endless gossip on the right - using Clinton to bash Obama.) I seriously doubt that Clinton herself had anything to do with it - but some of her people may well have.

[DURHAM D]

16. What does this story have to do with the NY Times? nt

[karynnj]

24. The article was originally from the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19policy.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1300539729-PwmQE7W2JHo6iVIJ12GzMw

(other sources are quoting it.)

Here Ameriblog takes their words verbatim and neglects to give credit or a link - I had read the full NYT article, so had not gone to Ameriblog - or I would have 1) mentioned it and 2) blasted a prominent blogger for not knowing better - though it looks like his entry was chopped off.

[DURHAM D]

28. I heard this story on CNN and MSNBC (Chuck Todd) today.

None of them mentioned the NY Times story.

[karynnj]

29. That article quoted the NYT VERBATIM - This is not subtle,there is NO doubt that it was the source

As to CNN and MSNBC, I didn't hear them, but if there is a KEY account of what happened behind the scenes, it was the detailed NYT story that I gave you a link to. By the way, on Meet the Press, when it was discussed, both Gregory and Andrea Mitchell referred to the NYT story - as did a NYT reporter there.

It is entirely possible that Chuck Todd spoke to primary sources, but it is more likely that he was referring to the well sourced NYT story.

You can take the facts as they do - and if so, Clinton was the key to US involvement - or you can conclude that BOTH Obama and Clinton reacted to the some event - like the Arab League asking. What is clear is that Clinton was against it for about 2 and a half weeks since the idea first surfaced and she changed her opinion immediately after the Arab League decision - and Obama followed within a day - at a point where his position was going to be needed for the UN vote. (What is clear is that even with Clinton shifting, the administration was split on this - and Obama made the decision.)

The point is that as President, Obama will get the credit or the blame. If it fails, will you blame Obama or Clinton? Or someone else - who, I don't know.

[madrchsod]

17. i had no idea samantha power was in the nsc...

i guess her and hillary finally buried the hatchet.

i`ll have to rethink my opinion of hillary.

[meow mix]

18. K&R

[AntiFascist]

23. Condoleeza Rice was a woman also...

just sayin:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/220976.html

"A US state department spokesman, Sean McCormack, described Rice's visit as an "historic stop". Principal US interests on the agenda include investment in Libya's oil and gas industry..."