White House: Helping install 'a democratic system' is goal in Libya

[The Northerner]

The White House suggested on Tuesday the mission in Libya is one of regime change, despite emphatic statements from President Obama and military brass that the goal is not to remove Moammar Gadhafi from power.

According to a White House readout of a Monday night call between Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two leaders "underscored their shared commitment to the goal of helping provide the Libyan people an opportunity to transform their country, by installing a democratic system that respects the people’s will."

The term "installing" suggests the goal of regime change.

In an e-mail, White House press secretary Jay Carney said there is no change in the U.S. military mission, which he wrote was clearly focused on protecting civilians. He also noted Obama's remark on Monday that Gadhafi is no longer fit to lead.

From the onset of the strikes against Libya, senior administration officials have said the goal is to create an atmosphere where Libyan rebels would be able to oust Gadhafi from power.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/151191-white-house-suggests-regime-change-is-goal-of-libya-mission?page=1

[daa]

1. More Obama BS, How is that goal working out in Gaza or Iraq? nt

[dipsydoodle]

3. Quite aside from Saudi Arabia.

.

[ixion]

6. or Afghanistan, etc, etc...

yep, more BS. :grr:

[thewiseguy]

9. Do you really want to know what Afghanistan was like before we invaded them?

The place was a shit hole where women were getting shot at in soccer stadiums and men were being hanged for being gay. Yes, there is still lots of problems in Afghanistan but the place is a lot better than what it used to be.

[sad sally]

23. Have you read Dexter Filkins "The Forever War?"

He's an excellent war correspondent - it's a very good read.

[ixion]

24. That is debatable, to be sure

and I'm sure there are people living in Afghanistan who think otherwise.

And further, WHO THE HELL DO WE THINK WE ARE TO INVADE WHOMEVER WE PLEASE FOR WHATEVER REASON WE CHOOSE?!

[Tatiana]

2. This was clearly about regime change from the beginning. Did anyone think differently? n/t

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. How about we start right here in Wisconsin?

There wasn't any doubt that the idea was to leverage this "humanitarian crisis" to the advantage of american corporate interests.

[gratuitous]

5. Let's have it both, make that three (four? more?) ways

We're protecting civilians, so we're not involved in regime change. But Gadhafi has to go, because he's no longer fit to lead. We want a democratic system installed, but if the people are so dense as to install someone we don't like (like Hamas in the Palestinian territories), then they're wrong and a bunch of terrorists. But there's no change in our military mission. Of course, if those two jet pilots had been taken captive by Gadhafi's men instead of being taken in by friendlies, there would be hell to pay. We have to respect the people's will, as long as nobody among the people adopts a stance adverse to U.S. interests. We don't really know that much about the internal dynamics of the Libyan political system, so we don't know who we might be helping and who we might be harming. And we hope that nobody in opposition to Gadhafi is so conniving that they'd also be working against their fellow protestors/rebels before Gadhafi is deposed. Not that we are working toward regime change.

Wait. What?

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. By jove, you've got it!!!!!!

Now, repeat after me:
"The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain"

[StarburstClock]

8. It's a direct violation of the UN Charter to be involved in regime change

Not that many people actually care what the UN charter actually says, which is that aggression is allowed to protect civilians only, it is not allowed to be used to direct other country's regimes.

[FiveGoodMen]

10. Does 'democratic system' = 'puppet government'?

[zorahopkins]

11. When Does It End?

When does it all end?

Why do I have this sinking feeling that we are about to enter yet one more quagmire???

[City Lights]

15. "days, not weeks"

President Obama said so just the other day.

[KurtNYC]

16. Hmmmmm.... February 7, 2003

"It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months," he said, speaking at the American air base at Aviano, in northern Italy.
.
.
.
That is what Rumsfailed said too.

[zorahopkins]

18. Does That Mean "Mission Accomplished"?

Does that mean that President Obama will be able to say "Mission Accomplished" in a few days?

[Catherina]

19. Cakewalk. Garlands of flowers. I promise you. n/t

[onethatcares]

26. are we gonna pull down statues too?

I wouldn't want us to do any less.

[krabigirl]

12. Holy crap it IS 2003 again. Lol.

[spanone]

13. 'suggested'

[BzaDem]

14. I'm not sure what the news is here. Obama has said from the beginning that it is the goal of the US

to remove Gadaffi from power (and presumably we would prefer another dictator not take his place). But as Obama said in the press conference yesterday, that is NOT the goal of the MILITARY mission (which is strict limited to protecting civilians and enforcing the UN resolution). He said the US would continue to use diplomatic means (such as sanctions) and other means to encourage Gadaffi to leave.

[onethatcares]

27. so we protect the citizens by firing scuds at them and

surgically removing the houses they live in so they can wander about the streets while waiting for their infrastructure
to be rebuilt by some contractor or other.

Makes sense to me, but it reminds me of someplace where we destroyed villages in order to save them.

[Tx4obama]

17. The U.S. Senate basically has said the same thing in the March 1st resolution in clause #11

S.Res.85:

SNIP

(11) welcomes the outreach that has begun by the United States Government to Libyan opposition figures and supports an orderly, irreversible transition to a legitimate democratic government in Libya.

SNIP

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x717373#717754

[sad sally]

20. Here an American leader goes again - defining democracy for

another Country's people we claim to know everything about how they want to be governed.

By Abdulsattar Hatitah

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – Libyan tribes played an important role in the country's fight against Ottoman, and later Italian, colonialism, with many Libyan tribal members sacrificing their lives in this war. It is believed that there are currently around 140 different tribes and clans in Libya, many of which have influences and members outside of the country, from Tunisia to Egypt to Chad. However Dr. Faraj Abdulaziz Najam, a Libyan specialist in Social Sciences and History, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Libyan tribes and clans that have genuine and demonstrable influence on the country number no more than 30 .

In a country that has lived under the brutal dictatorship of one man for more than forty years, namely Colonel Muammar Gaddafi –of the Gaddafi tribe – the majority of Libyans depend on their tribal connection in order to obtain their rights, and for protection, and even in order to find a job, particularly in the state apparatus. In a study conducted by Dr. Amal al-Obeidi at the University of Garyounis in Benghazi, it was revealed that the two largest and most influential Arab tribes in Libya originated from the Arab Peninsula, and these are the Beni Salim tribe that settled in Cyrenaica, the eastern coastal region of Libya, and the Beni Hilal that settled in western Libya around Tripoli. However other Libyan researchers and expert also revealed that around 15 percent of the Libyan population have no tribal affiliation whatsoever, being descendents of the Berber, Turkish, and other communities.

http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&id=24257?du

[DeSwiss]

21. When they're finished.....

...maybe they can install one here.

[onethatcares]

22. oh jeeeezzzzzuzzzz, not again

is there any chance we here might get a crack at the same some day.

[KurtNYC]

25. we are going to clone our system there so that the Kochs

and US Chamber of Commerce can select the next leader.

[Ignis]

28. ...Aaaaaaaand THERE go the goalposts!

But who's honestly surprised anymore?