I did catch quite a bit of it as I drove home from work today. I don’t know how it looked on television, but he sounded quite strong on radio. His speech as an impassioned defense of justice, courage and doing what is right even when it is difficult…but it fell flat on my ears because (a) he is still not setting the goal of actually getting rid of Gaddafi and, meanwhile, they are waiting for us in Syria and Iran and wonder why we don’t get rid of those dictators who use military force to massacre the people.
In short, it was a simply bizarre speech. We had to get in there to help…but if you happen to find yourself still in territory controlled by Gaddafi, then that is too bad. Also too bad if your dictator doesn’t rule a country easily accessible to US air and naval power. Double too bad if your dictator is still on good terms with the other Arab States ’cause we won’t move without their permission. Triple bad if we do, indeed, move but don’t get the job done in a week, we’re still outta there…
Additionally, the speech as a bit of a victory lap by Obama. A “told you so” to his critics – both those who urged no intervention and those who urged earlier or more vigorous intervention (I’m in the latter camp). Trouble is, the job is, at best, half done. Only part of Libya is freed from Gaddafi’s troops…and while we all hope that the rebels will now prevail (with a bit of trepidation because we don’t know what happens if they do…other than that it can’t be must worse than a wounded and angry Gaddafi remaining in power), there is no assurance of that. In the end, Gaddafi might be able to gain full control…or at least hold out in Tripoli and its hinterland, defying us and stirring up trouble for us for years.
The goal in Libya is clear – get rid of Gaddafi. The goal of US policy regarding the revolutionary ferment in the Moslem world is also clear – we will assist the rebels every chance we get. Obama has refused these two easy and logical goals and substituted for them a nebulous we’re kinda there kinda not there policy of spasmodic action here, kowtowing to dictators there. This is a recipe for disaster. We might still draw an inside straight and find Gaddafi forced out of power…but if we don’t cut ourselves loose from the rest of the dictators then any victory in Libya will be hollow. Revolutionary times call for bold action and a willingness to break out of pre-conceived notions. Obama is locked in to a dead, liberal notion of UN resolutions and always figuring that the dictator is legitimate until he does something horrific on television.
UPDATE: Reports of a “pre-genocidal” situation in Ivory Coast. What do we do?
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