{"id":469,"date":"2011-03-29T09:55:13","date_gmt":"2011-03-29T14:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yuriar.com\/politics\/?p=469"},"modified":"2011-03-29T09:55:13","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T14:55:13","slug":"my-take-on-the-libya-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/my-take-on-the-libya-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"My take on the Libya speech"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Confession time.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t bother to watch the President&#8217;s address to the nation about the Libya <del>war<\/del> <del> kinetic military action<\/del> <del>time-limited, scope-limited action<\/del> thingy.\u00a0 Really, why bother? We all know that BigO is the Teleprompter President.\u00a0 I can read exactly what the teleprompter told him to say afterwards and spend the time doing more important things, like adding to my lint collection, or playing Fluffy on facebook.\u00a0 But as I read the speech to my hubby, I couldn&#8217;t help but add my own asides, so here it is, my reaction to the President&#8217;s declaration of &#8230;\u00a0 whatever the heck he&#8217;s calling it today.\u00a0 My comments will be in <strong>bold<\/strong>.\u00a0 If you don&#8217;t want to go through the whole thing &#8211; Man, this guy just doesn&#8217;t know when to shut up! &#8211; Just skip to bottom of the page for my analysis.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-<\/p>\n<p><strong>The President\u2019s Address to the Nation on Libya \u2013 As Prepared for Delivery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>National Defense University<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Washington, DC<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 28, 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good evening. Tonight, I\u2019d *<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> like to update the American people on the  international effort that we have led in Libya \u2013 what we have done, what  we plan to do, and why this matters to us.<strong> Yea. 9 days AFTER you started this war, oh, I mean &#8220;kinetic military action.&#8221; WTG Dude. This is #Winning! The Charlie Sheen way. Ugh.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> want to begin by paying tribute to our men and women in uniform  who, once again, have acted with courage, professionalism and  patriotism.<strong> Damn straight. Our servicemen &amp; women are the best of the best. <\/strong> They have moved with incredible speed and strength. Because  of them and our dedicated diplomats, a coalition has been forged and  countless lives have been saved. Meanwhile, as we speak, our troops are  supporting our ally Japan, leaving Iraq to its people, stopping the  Taliban\u2019s momentum in Afghanistan, and going after al Qaeda around the  globe. <strong>Except in Libya, where <a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/africaandindianocean\/libya\/8407047\/Libyan-rebel-commander-admits-his-fighters-have-al-Qaeda-links.html\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener\">we are helping them<\/a>. SMH.<\/strong> As Commander-in-Chief, I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> am grateful to our Soldiers, Sailors,  Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and their families, as are all  Americans.<\/p>\n<p>For generations, the United States of America has played a unique  role as an anchor of global security and advocate for human freedom.  Mindful of the risks and costs of military action, we are naturally  reluctant to use force to solve the world\u2019s many challenges. But when  our interests and values are at stake, we have a responsibility to act.<strong> What interests? Explain this please?<\/strong> That is what happened in Libya over the course of these last six weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Libya sits directly between Tunisia and Egypt \u2013 two nations that  inspired the world when their people rose up to take control of their  own destiny. For more than four decades, the Libyan people have been  ruled by a tyrant \u2013 Moammar Gaddafi. He has denied his people freedom,  exploited their wealth, murdered opponents at home and abroad, and  terrorized innocent people around the world \u2013 including Americans who  were killed by Libyan agents.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Gaddafi\u2019s grip of fear appeared to give way to the  promise of freedom. In cities and towns across the country, Libyans took  to the streets to claim their basic human rights.\u00a0 As one Libyan said,  \u201cFor the first time we finally have hope that our nightmare of 40 years  will soon be over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Faced with this opposition, Gaddafi began attacking his people. <strong>Once people pick up arms against their government, they are no longer &#8216;innocent civilians&#8217;, they are now a rebel militia.<\/strong> As  President, my*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> immediate concern was the safety of our citizens, so we  evacuated our Embassy and all Americans who sought our assistance. We  then took a series of swift steps in a matter of days to answer  Gaddafi\u2019s aggression. <strong>Yea, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/blogs\/thetwo-way\/2011\/02\/24\/134034173\/u-s-evacuation-attempt-hits-snags-in-libya\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">by renting a tiny ferry<\/a> that wasn&#8217;t capable of traversing the rough waters that day and had to wait in port in Tripoli for a few days until the oceans calmed enough for it to leave port. #Winning!<\/strong> We froze more than $33 billion of the Gaddafi  regime\u2019s assets. Joining with other nations at the United Nations  Security Council, we broadened our sanctions, imposed an arms embargo,  and enabled Gaddafi and those around him to be held accountable for  their crimes. I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> made it clear that Gaddafi had lost the confidence of  his people and the legitimacy to lead, and I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> said that he needed to step  down from power. <strong>Yea, only AFTER his own airforce started <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2011\/02\/21\/libya-jets-in-malta-pilot_n_826110.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defecting to Europe<\/a> and Hillary twisted your arm about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the face of the world\u2019s condemnation, Gaddafi chose to escalate  his attacks, launching a military campaign against the Libyan people.  Innocent people were targeted for killing. <strong>Again, once people pick up arms against their government, they are not &#8216;innocent&#8217;. <\/strong>Hospitals and ambulances were  attacked. Journalists were arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed.  Supplies of food and fuel were choked off. The water for hundreds of  thousands of people in Misratah was shut off. Cities and towns were  shelled, mosques destroyed, and apartment buildings reduced to rubble.  Military jets and helicopter gunships were unleashed upon people who had  no means to defend themselves against assault from the air.<\/p>\n<p>Confronted by this brutal repression and a looming humanitarian  crisis, I<strong>*Drink!*<\/strong> ordered warships into the Mediterranean. European allies  declared their willingness to commit resources to stop the killing. The  Libyan opposition, and the Arab League, appealed to the world to save  lives in Libya. At my<strong>*Drink!*<\/strong> direction, America led an effort with our allies  at the United Nations Security Council to pass an historic Resolution  that authorized a No Fly Zone to stop the regime\u2019s attacks from the air,  and further authorized all necessary measures to protect the Libyan  people.<\/p>\n<p>Ten days ago, having tried to end the violence without using force,  the international community offered Gaddafi a final chance to stop his  campaign of killing, or face the consequences. Rather than stand down,  his forces continued their advance, bearing down on the city of  Benghazi, home to nearly 700,000 men, women and children who sought  their freedom from fear.\u00a0 <strong>You know, maybe it&#8217;s just me, but if I&#8217;m living in a place like Libya, and the dude down the street picks up a weapon and picks a fight with the Govt, I&#8217;d think that would be a good time to leave town.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At this point, the United States and the world faced a choice.  Gaddafi declared that he would show \u201cno mercy\u201d to his own people. He  compared them to rats, and threatened to go door to door to inflict  punishment. In the past, we had seen him hang civilians in the streets,  and kill over a thousand people in a single day. Now, we saw regime  forces on the outskirts of the city. We knew that if we waited one more  day, Benghazi \u2013 a city nearly the size of Charlotte \u2013 could suffer a  massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the  conscience of the world. <strong>Why? Why should this &#8220;stain the conscience of the world&#8221;?\u00a0 It&#8217;s a civil war. I don&#8217;t get why we need to interfere. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was not in our national interest to let that happen. <strong>Why? Explain, please.<\/strong> I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> refused to  let that happen. And so nine days ago, after consulting the bipartisan  leadership of Congress, I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> authorized military action to stop the killing  and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973. We struck regime  forces approaching Benghazi to save that city and the people within it.  We hit Gaddafi\u2019s troops in neighboring Ajdabiya, allowing the opposition  to drive them out. We hit his air defenses, which paved the way for a  No Fly Zone. We targeted tanks and military assets that had been choking  off towns and cities and we cut off much of their source of supply. And  tonight, I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> can report that we have stopped Gaddafi\u2019s deadly advance. <strong>So, basically, we did to Gaddafi that which we accused him of doing to the rebels. Why? To make it a fair fight? Then say that man!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In this effort, the United States has not acted alone. Instead, we  have been joined by a strong and growing coalition. <strong>If by &#8216;growing&#8217; you mean shrinking. The Arab league is not pleased about the civilian deaths during the bombing.<\/strong> This includes our  closest allies \u2013 nations like the United Kingdom, France, Canada,  Denmark, Norway, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey \u2013 all of whom have  fought by our side for decades. And it includes Arab partners like Qatar  and the United Arab Emirates, who have chosen to meet their  responsibility to defend the Libyan people. <strong>Actually, this is about European oil supplies, but he won&#8217;t say that. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To summarize, then: in just one month, the United States has worked  with our international partners to mobilize a broad coalition, secure an  international mandate to protect civilians, stop an advancing army,  prevent a massacre, and establish a No Fly Zone with our allies and  partners. To lend some perspective on how rapidly this military and  diplomatic response came together,\u00a0when people were being brutalized in  Bosnia in the 1990s, it took the international community more than a  year to intervene with air power to protect civilians. <strong>Yea, do you know why it took so long for us to intervene in Bosnia? I mean besides the fact that then Pres. Clinton was too busy with the interns to pay attention to world affairs.\u00a0 It&#8217;s because Bosnia doesn&#8217;t supply Europe with oil!\u00a0 That&#8217;s why the UN drug it&#8217;s feet over Bosnia, but was real quick to smack down Gaddafi. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Moreover, we have accomplished these objectives consistent with the  pledge that I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> made to the American people at the outset of our military  operations. I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> said that America\u2019s role would be limited; that we would  not put ground troops into Libya; that we would focus our unique  capabilities on the front end of the operation, and that we would  transfer responsibility to our allies and partners. Tonight, we are  fulfilling that pledge.<\/p>\n<p>Our most effective alliance, NATO, has taken command of the  enforcement of the arms embargo and No Fly Zone. Last night, NATO  decided to take on the additional responsibility of protecting Libyan  civilians. This transfer from the United States to NATO will take place  on Wednesday. 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*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> am fully confident that our coalition will keep the  pressure on Gaddafi\u2019s remaining forces. In that effort, the United  States will play a supporting role \u2013 including intelligence, logistical  support, search and rescue assistance, and capabilities to jam regime  communications. Because of this transition to a broader, NATO-based  coalition, the risk and cost of this operation \u2013 to our military, and to  American taxpayers \u2013 will be reduced significantly. <strong>So, we&#8217;re not leaving Libya. In fact, we&#8217;re going to spend more money we don&#8217;t have to help NATO, because no one else has the knowledge, or the toys we have. But Sir, you still haven&#8217;t defined why this is in our interests!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So for those who doubted our capacity to carry out this operation, I  want to be clear<strong>*Double!*<\/strong>: the United States of America has done what we said we  would do.<\/p>\n<p>That is not to say that our work is complete. <strong>Yea, we are still going to be there. This isn&#8217;t the simple military equivalent of a hit-and-run his Admin tried to tell us it would be. <\/strong> In addition to our NATO  responsibilities, we will work with the international community to  provide assistance to the people of Libya, who need food for the hungry  and medical care for the wounded. We will safeguard the more than $33  billion that was frozen from the Gaddafi regime so that it is available  to rebuild Libya. After all, this money does not belong to Gaddafi or to  us \u2013 it belongs to the Libyan people, and we will make sure they  receive it. <strong>So, after bombing the heck out of the Gaddafi&#8217;s military and doing to him what he&#8217;s doing to the rebels, we&#8217;re also stealing his cash to hand out as some sort of stimulus to the people of Libya when this is over. Yea, because that stimulus thing worked so well here in the US. \/sarc<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tomorrow, Secretary Clinton will go to London <strong>Anywhere but here, I&#8217;m tired of her breaking my bawls over this crap<\/strong>, where she will meet  with the Libyan opposition <strong>Read: Al Queda &amp; other terrorist groups behind the rebellion<\/strong> and consult with more than thirty nations.  These discussions will focus on what kind of political effort is  necessary to pressure Gaddafi, while also supporting a transition to the  future that the Libyan people deserve. Because while our military  mission is narrowly focused on saving lives, we continue to pursue the  broader goal of a Libya that belongs not to a dictator, but to its  people. <strong>Which is it? Is our objective narrow, or broad? Those are two pretty opposite words there. Also, why is it that Libya demands this action, and not other places where dictatorial leadership is killing off those who dare to protest, like say, Bahrain, Yemen, or even Iran? Why is Libya so special?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite the success of our efforts over the past week, I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> know that  some Americans continue to have questions about our efforts in Libya.  Gaddafi has not yet stepped down from power, and until he does, Libya  will remain dangerous. Moreover, even after Gaddafi does leave power,  forty years of tyranny has left Libya fractured and without strong civil  institutions. The transition to a legitimate government that is  responsive to the Libyan people will be a difficult task. And while the  United States will do our part to help, it will be a task for the  international community, and \u2013 more importantly \u2013 a task for the Libyan  people themselves. <strong>Wow, this sounds like it&#8217;s straight out of one of Bush&#8217;s speeches on Iraq. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In fact, much of the debate in Washington has put forward a false  choice when it comes to Libya. On the one hand, some question why  America should intervene at all \u2013 even in limited ways \u2013 in this distant  land. They argue that there are many places in the world where innocent  civilians face brutal violence at the hands of their government <strong>Iran, anyone?<\/strong>, and  America should not be expected to police the world, particularly when we  have so many pressing concerns here at home. <strong>Like Jobs, economy, jobs, housing bubble bursting again, jobs, whatever happened to his &#8220;laser-like focus&#8221; on the jobs thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is true that America cannot use our military wherever repression  occurs. <strong>And we shouldn&#8217;t. Sometimes a country needs a civil war to grow and advance. American did not have European help during our civil war. We should NOT interfere in other countries civil wars just because we can.<\/strong> And given the costs and risks of intervention, we must always  measure our interests against the need for action. But that cannot be an  argument for\u00a0never\u00a0acting on behalf of what\u2019s right. In  this particular country \u2013 Libya; at this particular moment, we were  faced with the prospect of violence on a horrific scale. We had a unique  ability to stop that violence: an international mandate for action, a  broad coalition prepared to join us, the support of Arab countries, and a  plea for help from the Libyan people themselves. We also had the  ability to stop Gaddafi\u2019s forces in their tracks without putting  American troops on the ground. <strong>In other words, we&#8217;re there to make it a fair fight. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To brush aside America\u2019s responsibility as a leader and \u2013 more  profoundly \u2013 our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such  circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are. 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. <strong>You mean like you did in Iran, with <a href=\"http:\/\/gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com\/2011\/03\/obama-i-refuse-to-wait-for-images-of-mass-slaughter-before-taking-action\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the slaughter Neda<\/a> and countless others? Or the slaughter of protesters in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain? Need I go on? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Moreover, America has an important strategic interest in preventing  Gaddafi from overrunning those who oppose him. A massacre would have  driven thousands of additional refugees across Libya\u2019s borders, putting  enormous strains on the peaceful \u2013 yet fragile \u2013 transitions in Egypt  and Tunisia. The democratic impulses that are dawning across the region  would be eclipsed by the darkest form of dictatorship, as repressive  leaders concluded that violence is the best strategy to cling to power.  The writ of the UN Security Council would have been shown to be little  more than empty words, crippling its future credibility to uphold global  peace and security. So while I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> will never minimize the costs involved  in military action, I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would  have carried a far greater price for America. <strong>Like what? Exactly? We are still waiting for an answer to this. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now, just as there are those who have argued against intervention in  Libya, there are others who have suggested that we broaden our military  mission beyond the task of protecting the Libyan people, and do whatever  it takes to bring down Gaddafi and usher in a new government. <strong>Wait, now we want to take Gaddafi out? Because before you said that our goal was just to save &#8216;innocent&#8217; lives. What is the damn goal of this war?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Of course, there is no question that Libya \u2013 and the world \u2013 will be  better off with Gaddafi out of power. I, along with many other world  leaders, have embraced that goal, and will actively pursue it through  non-military means. <strong>HA HA! Yea. What are you going to do? Ask him nicely to leave? Good luck with that. <\/strong>But broadening our military mission to include  regime change would be a mistake.<\/p>\n<p>The task that I assigned our forces \u2013 to protect the Libyan people  from immediate danger, and to establish a No Fly Zone \u2013 carries with it a  UN mandate and international support. <strong>So did our mission in Iraq &#8211; 17 UN resolutions actually. UN resolutions aren&#8217;t worth the paper they are printed on.<\/strong> It is also what the Libyan  opposition asked us to do. <strong>You mean Al Queda? When did we start taking orders from the enemy?<\/strong> If we tried to overthrow Gaddafi by force,  our coalition would splinter. <strong>Meaning the Arab League would run the other way.<\/strong> We would likely have to put U.S. troops on  the ground, or risk killing many civilians from the air. The dangers  faced by our men and women in uniform would be far greater. So would the  costs, and our share of the responsibility for what comes next.<\/p>\n<p>To be blunt, we went down that road in Iraq. Thanks to the  extraordinary sacrifices of our troops and the determination of our  diplomats, we are hopeful about Iraq\u2019s future. But regime change there  took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi lives, and nearly a  trillion dollars. <strong>Wrong. Regime Change took about a month or so. It&#8217;s the nation building, and protecting the fragile democracy that is taking root there that has taken so long.<\/strong><em><\/em> That is not something we can afford to repeat in  Libya.<\/p>\n<p>As the bulk of our military effort ratchets down, what we can do \u2013  and will do \u2013 is support the aspirations of the Libyan people.<strong> You mean Al Queda. *sigh*<\/strong> We have  intervened to stop a massacre, <strong>like we did in Darfur, right? Oh wait&#8230;. My bad.<\/strong> and we will work with our allies and  partners as they\u2019re in the lead to maintain the safety of civilians. <strong>We&#8217;re going to let the French take the lead and command our people. Say Wha??<\/strong> We  will deny the regime arms, cut off its supply of cash, assist the  opposition,<strong> we will do to him what he has done to Al Queda, I mean the rebels<\/strong> and work with other nations to hasten the day when Gaddafi  leaves power. It may not happen overnight, as a badly weakened Gaddafi  tries desperately to hang on to power. But it should be clear <strong>*Double!*<\/strong> to those  around Gadaffi, and to every Libyan, that history is not on his side. <strong>Why would that be clear to him? He&#8217;s been there for 40 years already!<\/strong> With the time and space that we have provided for the Libyan people,  they will be able to determine their own destiny, and that is how it  should be.<\/p>\n<p>Let me*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> close by addressing what this action says about the use of  America\u2019s military power, and America\u2019s broader leadership in the world,  under my*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> presidency.<\/p>\n<p>As Commander-in-Chief, I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> have no greater responsibility than keeping  this country safe. And no decision weighs on me more than when to deploy  our men and women in uniform. I have made it clear <strong>*Double!*<\/strong> that I*<strong>Drink!*<\/strong> will never  hesitate to use our military swiftly, decisively, and unilaterally when  necessary to defend our people, our homeland, our allies, and our core  interests. That is why we are going after al Qaeda wherever they seek a  foothold. <strong>Execpt in Libya, where we are helping them take over. <\/strong> That is why we continue to fight in Afghanistan, even as we  have ended our combat mission in Iraq and removed more than 100,000  troops from that country.<\/p>\n<p>There will be times, though, when our safety is not directly  threatened, but our interests and values are. <strong>So what interests and values are at stake in Libya? You still haven&#8217;t told us! <\/strong>Sometimes, the course of  history poses challenges that threaten our common humanity and common  security \u2013 responding to natural disasters, for example; or preventing  genocide and keeping the peace; ensuring regional security, and  maintaining the flow of commerce. <strong><\/strong>These may not be America\u2019s problems  alone, but they are important to us, and they are problems worth  solving. And in these circumstances, we know that the United States, as  the world\u2019s most powerful nation, will often be called upon to help.<strong> Ahh! This is as close to the real reason as he will ever get to admitting &#8211; this is all about keeping the oil flowing to Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In such cases, we should not be afraid to act \u2013 but the burden of  action should not be America\u2019s alone. <strong>Yea, because this isn&#8217;t about our interests, or even part of the bigger War on Terror. This is about scratching our allies&#8217; backs. <\/strong>As we have in Libya, our task is  instead to mobilize the international community for collective action.<strong>Wait, I thought the French were taking the lead on this. Doesn&#8217;t that mean it&#8217;s their task to get the international community to act?<\/strong> Because contrary to the claims of some, American leadership is not  simply a matter of going it alone and bearing all of the burden  ourselves.<strong> Blame Boosh!! <\/strong> Real leadership creates the conditions and coalitions for  others to step up as well; to work with allies and partners so that they  bear their share of the burden and pay their share of the costs; and to  see that the principles of justice and human dignity are upheld by all. <strong>Um, Bush&#8217;s coalition in Iraq was <a href=\"http:\/\/michellemalkin.com\/2011\/03\/22\/iraq-libya\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">twice the size <\/a>of your coalition in Libya. Suck on that. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the kind of leadership we have shown in Libya. Of course, even  when we act as part of a coalition, the risks of any military action  will be high. Those risks were realized when one of our planes  malfunctioned over Libya. Yet when one of our airmen parachuted to the  ground, in a country whose leader has so often demonized the United  States \u2013 in a region that has such a difficult history with our country \u2013  this American did not find enemies. Instead, he was met by people who  embraced him. One young Libyan who came to his aid said, \u201cWe are your  friends. We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies.\u201d<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This voice is just one of many in a region where a new generation is  refusing to be denied their rights and opportunities any longer. Yes,  this change will make the world more complicated for a time. Progress  will be uneven, and change will come differently in different countries.  There are places, like Egypt, where this change will inspire us and  raise our hopes. And there will be places, like Iran, where change is  fiercely suppressed. The dark forces of civil conflict and sectarian war  will have to be averted, and difficult political and economic concerns  addressed.<\/p>\n<p>The United States will not be able to dictate the pace and scope of  this change. Only the people of the region can do that. But we can make a  difference. I believe that this movement of change cannot be turned  back, and that we must stand alongside those who believe in the same  core principles that have guided us through many storms <strong>Oh yea, because Al Queda sooo stands for the same core principles we do. That&#8217;s why they love us so much. \/sarc <\/strong>: our opposition  to violence directed against one\u2019s own citizens; our support for a set  of universal rights, including the freedom for people to express  themselves and choose their leaders; our support for governments that  are ultimately responsive to the aspirations of the people. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Born, as we are, out of a revolution by those who longed to be free,  we welcome the fact that history is on the move in the Middle East and  North Africa, and that young people are leading the way. Because  wherever people long to be free, they will find a friend in the United  States. Ultimately, it is that faith \u2013 those ideals \u2013 that are the true  measure of American leadership.<\/p>\n<p>My fellow Americans, I know that at a time of upheaval overseas \u2013  when the news is filled with conflict and change \u2013 it can be tempting to  turn away from the world. And as I have said before, our strength  abroad is anchored in our strength at home. That must always be our  North Star \u2013 the ability of our people to reach their potential, to make  wise choices with our resources, to enlarge the prosperity that serves  as a wellspring of our power, and to live the values that we hold so  dear. <strong>But so many of us are suffering at home. What &#8216;prosperity&#8217; when jobs are at an all time low, the economy is dying, and our nation is so deep in debt my grandchildren&#8217;s grandchildren will still be trying to pay it all off? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But let us also remember that for generations, we have done the hard  work of protecting our own people, as well as millions around the globe.  We have done so because we know that our own future is safer and  brighter if more of mankind can live with the bright light of freedom  and dignity. Tonight, let us give thanks for the Americans who are  serving through these trying times, and the coalition that is carrying  our effort forward; and let us look to the future with confidence and  hope not only for our own country, but for all those yearning for  freedom around the world. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless  the United States of America.<\/p>\n<p>###<\/p>\n<p>Ok&#8230; so here&#8217;s the deal. This whole thingy in Libya boils down to this &#8211; Our allies in the War on Terror have asked for help.\u00a0 Ten years ago France, Britain, and a list of others joined us in the War on Terror and helped us take down the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam in Iraq.\u00a0 For ten years they have been &#8220;scratching our back&#8221; in Iraq &amp; Afghanistan, now it&#8217;s time for us to scratch theirs.\u00a0 But BigO can&#8217;t say that, because then he would have to admit that Bush wasn&#8217;t the &#8216;lone cowboy&#8217; the left tries to paint him as.\u00a0 He also can&#8217;t admit that this is all about the free flow of Libyan oil to Europe, because the left used the whole &#8216;war for oil&#8217; thing to vilify Bush, even though the US gets <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scottmanning.com\/archives\/howmuchoilfromiraq.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">less oil <\/a>from Iraq now then it did before the Iraqi front in the War on Terror.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>So, just to recap &#8211; This is all about Europe&#8217;s need for Libyan oil, and our involvement is paybacks for their help in Iraq &amp; Afghanistan.\u00a0 But to come out and say so would mean vindication for GW, so Big O has to obfuscate and tiptoe around the truth. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Confession time.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t bother to watch the President&#8217;s address to the nation about the Libya war kinetic military action time-limited, scope-limited action thingy.\u00a0 Really, why bother? We all know &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","filesize_raw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2,42,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-s3x-ed","category-military-matters","category-war-on-terror"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yuriar.com\/conservakat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}