The hypocrisy of this President and his Secretary of State is breath taking and for me, sickening. Both of these people condemned every aspect of their current actions when they were in the Senate opposing Bush. If your actions are warranted and/or your convictions virtuous, then tell the truth. No one in the world is fooled by their ridiculous rhetoric.
I’ve taken some of the merciless parodies from the online wags and doctored up a photo. The signs just don’t carry the same ring as ours did in the 60s.
On the Administration’s side is the threat of a lunatic to hunt down and kill insurgent citizens but little else. Never the less, America is now engaged and government should finish what it started without making things worse.
There is much that the President cannot say tonight. He cannot aid the enemy by explaining our strategy, options and limits in any detail. The President cannot negotiate a settlement on American TV. But there is absolutely one thing he could do tonight and certainly will not. He could tell us that he will demand that Congress pay for this war by raising taxes, specific to that purpose alone.
George Bush had a chance to pay for his wars but did not. “He never asked Americans to sacrifice,” screamed the Democratic chorus with Obama, Hillary, me and N in their numbers. Now it’s Obama’s turn but this time we are facing the greater urgency of catastrophic deficits.
Be reasonable, we cannot expect a Democrat to reduce expenses, especially entitlements, to pay for a war. But he can certainly demand that taxes be levied to pay for this great humanitarian effort. I’d hope that he would ask Congress to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan as well but I’d settle for just paying for Libya. Small steps.
Does the President have the courage to lead? Yes in war making but no at home.
This Libya thing is a mess that will certainly get worse. Here is yet another depressing column from a conservative – worth a read. Liberals are lining up with conservatives this time while progressives are hanging in there with the Prez.
A War by Any Name by Ross Douthat NYT, March 27, 2011
Speaking of depressing, we are thinking of arming the rebels and hoping they can kill Gaddafi but who exactly are the rebels? The French have acknowledged them and we are leaning that way but:
· They have already filled what used to be Qaddafi’s prisons with “enemies of the revolution” – mostly black Africans. These were rounded up under suspicion of being mercenaries and are awaiting revolutionary justice.
· Immediately southeast of Libya is the Sudan. Do we remember how good Muslims treat native black Africans there?
· The rebel front-line forces include what one rebel commander calls the “patriots and good Muslims” who fought American forces in Iraq.
Douthat demands that the President defend his adventure tonight. That will be quite a task.
Another thing that the President cannot discuss tonight or any time is the possibility of a deal. Thinkers – people who you won’t see on cable TV and whose names you mostly don’t know – are urging a deal, ASAP. Offer Gaddafi this: leave Libya for good and go to Venezuela. As long as you leave now and stay there, we offer:
· Immunity from the world court.
· You can keep your bank accounts [up to say hundreds of millions].
· No extradition to anywhere, including Libya.
· Let him take his family if they want to go.
N threw up but we need calmer heads to prevail. The alternative in my mind is to put the CIA on the ground there and kill him – probably with a missile that wipes out dozens or hundreds of others that are housed with him.
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