The administration’s Random Foreign Policy Generator is getting a workout lately when it comes to Libya.
[Spins dial. Lands on “Do nothing”] Yea! That was easy.
[Problem doesn’t go away. Spins again: "Furrow brow and talk tough"] OK, that doesn’t sound so bad. Where’s my teleprompter?
[Problem still doesn’t go away. People complaining. Spins again: “Launch bombs”] Well, that’s the opposite approach of what I’ve aggressively preached about for the last decade, but whatever. As long as I can get back to golfing, being entertained and watching the NCAA tournament.
[Repeat . . .]
1. From the Bumbling Genius, Relax, It’s OK, Obama Is A Democrat
If anyone is having difficulty reconciling the war-is-not-the-answer’s dream president with Obama’s war and his American bombs falling in Libya; don’t feel alone. The only thing I can come up with as to how this could be is that he is trustworthy to do such things because he is a Democrat because he is an intrinsically good person. So, being a Democrat, we can trust his bombs will never kill Libyan children with flying shrapnel; or make Muslims want to blow American infidels up indiscriminately. But even if such horrors do happen don’t worry, the media will make sure you don’t hear about it; and that’s the same as it not happening.
2. With Libya, the Left’s Anti-War Hypocrisy is Complete – the title says it all.
3. Fish Wrap’s Ross Douthat Finally Figures Out The Liberal Spin On Libya
Bush was just plain silly in not going to the Congress, getting a resolution, not going to the United Nations, getting resolution 1441 (after 16 other UN resolutions), not laying out the rationale for military action in Iraq in speeches over long months, including the State of the Union, and not putting a coalition of over 40 nations together, not to mention not giving Saddam numerous chances to work with the weapons inspectors.
4. And from samples of the false teacher department, we’ve got this from the Sojourners’ Jim “the Gospel is all about wealth redistribution” Wallis: Nothing.
And we have this beautiful piece of self-parody by Chuck “Jesus is not the only way” Currie, Why I Can Support The Strikes Against Libya As A Christian: “The United Nations, not a U.S.-led coalition under cover of a UN mandate . . .” Oh, well since it is led by the UN and not just under their mandate then that changes everything. And you know Currie would have had the exact same views had it been President Bush in office.
Note to Liberals: Consistency — You’re doin’ it wrong.
I’m a little less cynical, but I’ve had many of the same thoughts. I did reach out to a liberal friend and asked what the difference is between Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. He rode the “war of choice” wagon and “unwinnable war” wagon for a while on Iraq, but has gotten quiet now that the Iraq war is largely over for the US (NOT over for the Iraqis unfortunately) and the Afghan was lingers on.
I did not ask him the difference in order to goad him, I’m asking in a private email in order to understand.
EXCELLENT blog, I shared it on facebook.
Well put together!
Barb
Thanks, Barb — great to hear from you!
We are attacking Libya ostensibly to prevent Ga-daffy from killing his own people. So this begs the question – why are we not also in Darfur, Sudan, Somalia and all those other places where thousands of Christians are being killed by their governments daily?
Hmmm, you do realize that Dennis Kucinich is calling for Obama’s impeachment over Libya? That sounds fairly consistent to me.
I readily concede that Kucinich is consistent, among other things.
Sent from my iPhone
Perhaps done in order to sound consistent, while being pissed off Obama put him in that position.
Just a thought.
Glenn
Great point. Also, why was it not OK to go after Saddam who killed his own people, and it is OK to go after Kadaffy for killing his own people?
There’s a simple answer to all your questions:
Obama is trying to move to the right in the hopes that he will win the independent vote in 2012.
However, it may come at the cost of alienating his Liberal democratic base.
Perhaps he understands better than most that Conservatives outnumber Liberals these days. An Imbalance caused mostly by his own policy objectives.
Even my far leftist doctor Nephew has admitted he questions why he voted for Obama in the first place.