Buchanan Union Leaser Mar 24 2011 A foolish, illegal war in Libya
Pat Buchanan: A foolish, illegal war in Libya
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"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."
So said constitutional scholar and Sen. Barack Obama in December 2007 -- the same man who, this past weekend, ordered U.S. air and missile strikes on Libya without any authorization from Congress.
Obama did win the support of Gabon in the Security Council, but failed with Germany. With a phone call to acquitted rapist Jacob Zuma, he got South Africa to sign on, but not Brazil, Russia, India or China. All four abstained.
This is not the world's war. This is Obama's war.
The U.S. Navy fired almost all the cruise missiles that hit Libya as the U.S. Air Force attacked with B-2 bombers, F-15s and F-16s.
"To be clear, this is a U.S.-led operation," said Vice Adm. William Gortney.
"In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies," said Winston Churchill. Obama is a quick study.
In his Friday ultimatum, he said, "We are not going to use force to go beyond a well-defined goal -- specifically, the protection of civilians in Libya."
Why, then, did we strike Tripoli and Moammar Gadhafi's compound?
So many U.S. missiles and bombs have struck Libya that the Arab League is bailing out. League chief Amr Moussa has called an emergency meeting of the 22 Arab states to discuss attacks that have "led to the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians." We asked for a no-fly zone, said Moussa, not the "bombardment of civilians."
What caused Obama's about-face from the Pentagon position that imposing a no-fly zone on Libya was an unwise act of war?
According to The New York Times, National Security Council aide Samantha Power, U.N. envoy Susan Rice and Hillary Clinton flipped him. The three sisters feel guilty about us not invading Rwanda when Hutu were butchering Tutsi.
They did not want to be seen as standing by when Gadhafi took Benghazi, which he would have done, ending the war in days, had we not intervened.
While Obama is no longer saying Gadhafi must go, Hillary insists that has to be the outcome. No question who wears the pants here.
As U.S. prestige and power are committed, if Gadhafi survives, he will have defeated Obama and NATO. Hence, we must now finish him and his regime to avert a U.S. humiliation and prevent another Lockerbie.
The Arab League and African Union are denouncing us, but al-Qaida is with us. For eastern Libya provided more than its fair share of jihadists to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq. And jihadists are prominent among the rebels we just rescued.
Yet, even as Obama was announcing U.S. intervention to prevent "unspeakable atrocities," security police of Yemen's President Saleh, using sniper rifles, massacred 45 peaceful protesters and wounded 270. Most of the dead were shot in the head or neck, the work of marksmen.
Had Mahmoud Ahmadinejad done this in Tehran, would U.S. protests have been so muted?
In Bahrain, 2,000 Saudi soldiers and troops from emirates of the Gulf have intervened to save King Khalifa, whose throne was threatened by Shia demonstrators in the Pearl roundabout in Manama. The town square was surrounded, the Shia driven out, the 300-foot Pearl monument destroyed.
This crackdown on Bahrain's Shia has been denounced by Iran and Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Sistani, most revered figure in the Shia world, ordered seminaries shut in protest. This is serious business.
Not only are the Shia dominant in Iran, and in Iraq after the Americans ousted the Sunni-dominated Baathist Party, they are heavily concentrated in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, where the oil deposits are located.
They are a majority in Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based. Shia Hezbollah is now the dominant military and political force in Lebanon.
Riyadh must have regarded the threat to Bahrain a grave one to have so exacerbated the religious divide and raised the specter of sectarian war.
Yet, again, why are we bombing Libya?
Gadhafi did not attack the West. He faced an uprising to dethrone him and rallied his troops to crush it, as any ruthless ruler would have done. We have no vital interest in who wins his civil war.
Indeed, Gadhafi has asked of Obama, "If you found them taking over American cities by force of arms, what would you do?"
Well, when the South fired on Fort Sumter, killing no one, Abraham Lincoln blockaded every Southern port, sent Gen. Sherman to burn Atlanta and pillage Georgia and South Carolina, and Gen. Sheridan to ravage the Shenandoah. He locked up editors and shut down legislatures and fought a four-year war of reconquest that killed 620,000 Americans -- a few more than have died in Gadhafi's four-week war.
Good thing we didn't have an "international community" back then.
The Royal Navy would have been bombarding Lincoln's America.
Pat Buchanan is a former Republican and Reform Party candidate for President, an adviser to two Presidents and a syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
Bush was the ultimate idiot. Rice was a corporate sell out for big oil. Iraq and Afghanastan were/are a war, Libya is a bombing mission so far.
- Texas yankee, Dallas, TX
Obama's an idiot. Hillary's worse than an idiot. This is a stupid war.
- Texas Sage, Austin, TX
When Libya costs 1T and 4K+ lives, then I will call it a war.
- Winston Smith, Merrimack NH
Hey people, how is the hope and change working for you now?
You can't be all things to all people and then when things go poorly blame it on the prior president.
Mr. President everything that happens good or bad from this point on is totally on you. No more scapegoats. No more blame game after 2 years in the white house. If this Libya mission is a abject failure, it is on you!
If the Dictator Gadhafi is still in power after the all smoke clears what will other countries around the world think of us? Much less our enemies?
Regime change in 2012 anyone but Obama! Donald Trump the wind bag that he is would be a vast improvement.
- Peter, Somersworth
So now we have two quotes - one from Obama and one from Biden - from several years ago which both point to the fact that the President of the United States cannot unilaterally declare war on a foreign country without congressional approval. Biden went so far as to call for the impeachment of the president of that time should that president have taken action against Iran. So NOW we have these same two hypocrites in 2011 with their illegal war in Lybia...where the heck are all the moonbats? They're DEFENDING this hypocritical and illegal action. They SHOULD be calling for impeachment. Instead we get some slick White House lawyer calling this not a war, but a "kinetic military action." Okay...is it a war or isn't it? I suppose in the famously spun words of another lying, impeached democrat who once occupied the White House and started an illegal war of his own against Serbia - it depends on what your definition of "is" is.
Ever notice that almost every war in the last 100 years was started with a democrat presiding in the White House?
- Mike, Temple
@- Scott, chichester
"and how high were you jumping and down because Jimmy Obam... I mean Carter was doing NOTHING about the 52 U.S. hostages who were held up for over a year?"
Actually Scott I was serving my country in the Airborne Infantry while the hostage crises in Iran was going on. I was fully prepared trained and itching to go. Where exactly were you? You really should not make personal assumptions based on a political stance. I paid my dues to not only for the right to have my political views, but for your right to have your views as well. In case you didn't know, the hostage crises that you are referring to was blowback from US involvement in the 1953 Iranian coupe d' etat. What I am inferring is that the actions that this country takes today can have ripple effects decades from now. We should be more careful in all of our foreign endeavors.
- Mike, Wolfeboro
The WSJ is reporting that Gadhafi's siege of Misrata has not been affected by Obama's illegal air strikes. So not what Barry? Ground troops?
Meanwhile, the US is involved in bombing targets across Libya as mission creep sets in. So much for the alleged "no-fly zone" lie.
We are not at war with Libya. Libya posed us no threat. End your illegal war, Barry.
- Tom, Campton
The Republican hypocrisy in assaulting the President Obama's every move is disgusting. Do you love America? Or do you love the Republican Party? A man cannot serve two masters, you dispiicable partisan hacks. Same goes for the Bush haters.
- Jim, Manchester, Ward 9
Sean R., Hooksett
Yes Sean anyone who does not hold your view is of course a hack or an idiot. We know this by the amount of times you've ever been wrong about anything, which seems to be zero times, and funny enough it's also the amount of time you've ever criticized the Presidents decisions.
I know I for one am always an idiot in your view, yet considering the source I can wear that label proudly. At least I can claim I criticized Bush for ceasing to fight to win, win quickly, and stop fighting a politically correct war to sway the opinions of people who don't really want us to win in the first place. I also criticized him for signing all the democrat congress's spending bills after he got tired of putting up with their crap like six years of hate Bush, blood for oil, hurting the middle class.
So please tell me know exactly what Obama or any democrat has done differently and how they've helped any of us in any way since he took office? Please name the one think you might be able to come up with that Obama has done wrong? Or just call me a name and move on with how brilliant you and Obama are as always.
- Patriot, Salem
Oh yeah and the "Bush War" was started in direct response to an attack on US SOIL...so that was the initial reason to start...to go and stop it from happening again from WMD.
This little circus Obama called absolutely doesn't involve the US....
- Ross, Manchester
- Mike, Wolfeboro
and how high were you jumping and down because Jimmy Obam... I mean Carter was doing NOTHING about the 52 U.S. hostages who were held up for over a year?
let me guess... just like liberals and p.o.w's... who cares?
- Scott, chichester
hum...If Moammar Gadhafi's has to go... my "Ex-good" friend Barack has to go too... Barack from antiwar... to a Warmongor! He's a Professional Sinister Swindler and a Lier is telling: the Naive,Poor,Gullible,Stupid,Crazy Hard Working Americans... What they want to hear... "We are attaking Libya to protect Civilians"... were are the Jane Fondas, and all the Americans from the Vietnam Era?... were is the Irony of the American People?... to allow this Criminal President and his Regime to dictate the theme of Human Suffering and Tragedy; what about the Americans can not being able to put food in the table... yet Barack Obama with his melodrama of violence and devastation with the CIA Rebels. His work will be reduce to a miniature... His cackling laughter suggest that he is a Dangerous President, but he suggest something far worce: INSANITY!
- gil mendozza zuntzes, windham
Reagan's 1986 attack was retaliation for Libyan sponsorship of terrorist attacks in Europe. After that, Libya behaved itself. Up until a couple of weeks ago, Libya had imprisoned Al-Qaeda operatives. After the "sabre rattling started, they were freed. These attacks seem to have one purpose. Since our economy isn't really coming back, naturally, an old Democrat remedy is being used. That remedy is to get involved in a world war. Libya is just the fuse to start this. Libya is a major winter food source for parts of Europe. It also is a fuel source for parts of Europe. Another factor is that these conflicts are causing illegal North African immigration to surge in Italy. Italy had been deporting illegal immigrants from Africa to Libya, where they were processed for return to their place of origin. Bottom line is this. There is a heck of a lot more behind these attacks than we are being led to believe. None of it is good for us, either. Remember, Obama is pro-illegal immigration. His motive may be something else, for someone else, but he's getting his whims satisfied in a small way too.
- Steve, Raymond
"The about face of so many Republican mouthpieces criticizing Obama for doing exactly the same thing their patron saint Ronald Reagan did is almost too comical. Then again, by today's neocon standards, Reagan would probably be considered a liberal."
Thanks Bob for pointing this out. Sadly though "they" will not get it, because Saint Ronnie could do no wrong. Ronald Reagan's action in the 1980's caused blowback that led to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and still we do not learn. I do not agree with President Obama on this, yet I find the comments on the "right" amusing, though in a sad way. If McCain were president and this had been his call, nearly everyone of these commenter's criticizing Obama would be on board. "Shuck-and-jive" wow nothing racist there (I know, I will hear that I am just name calling) come on? I believe that this country should stay out of just about everybody's foreign affairs, and work on keeping ourselves, a strong and vibrant nation. If we did that, then we would not have to worry about "blowback" so much.
- Mike, Wolfeboro
Scott - those apples are just as sour as back in the day. We spent 5000 lives and untold bucks to get Sadam out of Dodge. Bush's war remains an apt term to this day.
Obama isn't costing lives of our men and saving innocents.
And here I thought ALL republicans liked war.
It supports their theories that we somehow benefit from the rich getting richer.
When will you republican thinkers figure out that the repukicans are the part of the rich and be damned the middle class.
- Bill, Manchester
If Obama did nothing in Libya I bet Pat would have written a nice column full of praise. I'm sure of it...
- Frank, Dover
- Bill, Manchester
Yes, the "Bush war" (illegal war, however you liberal pansies like to define it) WAS okay.
Why? Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John Kerry, Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman all voted in favor of it. Mind you, all but ONE was either a presidential nominee OR v.p. nominee AND ONE is ACTUALLY the v.p.! With that many extremist liberals in favor... there could have been NOOOOOOO WAY that the invasion of Iraq and/or Afghanistan could be viewed or even defined as ILLEGAL.
how do you like those apples?
- Scott, Chichester
About that NH primary not so long from now...for your consideration:
Newt Gingrich, March 7th:
"Exercise a no-fly zone this evening, communicate to the Libyan military that Gadhafi was gone and that the sooner they switch sides, the more like they were to survive, provided help to the rebels to replace him....The United States doesn't need anybody's permission. We don't need to have NATO, who frankly, won't bring much to the fight. We don't need to have the United Nations."
Newt Gingrich, March 23rd:
"I would not have intervened. I think there were a lot of other ways to affect Qaddafi. I think there are a lot of other allies in the region we could have worked with. I would not have used American and European forces."
- Will Travers, Keene
"The about face of so many Republican mouthpieces criticizing Obama for doing exactly the same thing their patron saint Ronald Reagan did is almost too comical. Then again, by today's neocon standards, Reagan would probably be considered a liberal."
Thanks Bob for pointing this out. Sadly though "they" will not get it, because Saint Ronnie could do no wrong. Ronald Reagan's action in the 1980's caused blowback that led to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and still we do not learn. I do not agree with President Obama on this, yet I find the comments on the "right" amusing, though in a sad way. If McCain were president and this had been his call, nearly everyone of these commenter's criticizing Obama would be on board. "Shuck-and-jive" wow nothing racist there (I know, I will here that I am just name calling) come on? I believe that this country should stay out of just about everybody's foreign affairs, and work on keeping ourselves, a strong and vibrant nation. If we did that, then we would not have to worry about "blowback" so much.
- Mike, Wolfeboro
Unlike most of the conservative hacks and UL whack jobs at least Buchanan is consistent. He was right about Iraq and he is right (in the larger scope) about Libya.
It's is however unfortunate that this is the cheesy article he chose to write in this situation. It would have been much braver for Pat to comment directly on the big picture - the clash between American ideals versus American oil dependence coming to head simultaneously all of the region - rather than weasel around through the back door. Yes Pat, in the end America will side with the oil. That makes *us* craven, short sighted, owned by Big Business morons who had decades to act but didn't. It does NOT make Qaddafi like Lincoln.
- Sean R., Hooksett
"Isnt that exactly what Bush did?? Invade a country without national or international permission??"
No. President Bush was authorized by the Congress to act against Afghanistan and Iraq. There is no mention of the UN in the US Constitution.
Try reading it sometime.
- Tom, Campton
Jim, Manchester, Ward 9:
Let's at least recognize some of the other realities of the situation. Qaddafi gave a German interview the Tuesday before the UN vote where he stated the was going to cancel all western companies oil contracts and award them to the BRICS. With $100+ oil prices Russia wins either way so abstention was a natural. China, et. al., no doubt had some combo of carrot and stick.
International support based on the 15 Security Council nations is a dubious measure of international support at best and more so when the 5 countries abstaining had something to gain.
- Sean R., Hooksett
I'll be the first to say that I am not happy at all with the Obama admin for taking this action. We need to get out of the Middle East and let them settle their own affairs period. All this will do is cost the US more money, further destroy our reputation, endanger our troops, and raise the cost of gas (the oil speculators must be very happy though!).
- Ed, Manchester (the 1st Ed Manchester)
And what was Pat's opinions on Reagan's bombing of Libya and the failure to get rid of Gadhafi which led to Lockerbie? Or his invasion of Grenada? Or providing intelligence reports to Britain in the Falklands? Or Bush the First's invasion of Panama? Or the first Gulf War for that matter?
Personally, I think we should have stayed out of Libya and let the chips there fall, but the Right can't have it both ways when it comes to these type military interventions....
- Bill, New Boston
Well said, Mr. Buchanan - this war is illegal and Obama should be impeached for it. There is no constitutional or statutory justification for it. Only the Congress can declare war, and even the War Powers Act only allows the president to engage in hostilities without a declaration of war if the country has been attacked or is in imminent danger of being attacked.
This war was sold with lies, supposedly fought to prevent a genocide that wasn't happening, then to enforce a no-fly zone that has become an all-out aerial bombardment of the entire country. Obama claims no US ground forces will invade Libya, but he has lied about everything else to this point - why believe him at all?
And who exactly are "the rebels" on whose behalf Obama has illegally committed our troops? What is the end-game? Do we need another war? More nation-building? Anyone?
Questions like these are exactly why the Constitution demands that the president acquire congressional approval before committing our troops to war. Obama has violated the US Constitution.
Impeach Barack Hussein Obama.
- Tom, Campton
Arab League chief Amr Moussa is a two-faced moron, just as most of the members of the Arab League are two-faced morons.
They begged for a Libyan No-Fly zone; a condition that mandates destruction of airfields, aviation fuel dumps, anti-aircraft radars, anti-aircraft gun/rocket emplacements, and the aircraft themselves. Gaddaffi deliberately placed many of those targets next to hospitals, schools, and places of religious worship specifically to make any attacker hesitate in the face of civilian casualties. The laws of war state that any nation that does that, forfeits the right to protection for those structures. Painting a big Red Cross on top of your tank doesn't protect it from being a target.
The U.S. military didn't put this together on an hour's notice; the decision to do so was made at least a week ago, if not a month ago to set it all up.
Yeah, Obama is a hypocrite. How many times does that have to be demonstrated before people stop voting him into office?
- Michael D. Houst, Barrington, NH
Really Rick? Credible reports? The only claims I've heard of the Libyan rebels being supported by Al Qaeda are from Ghadhafi.
You're absolutely right about one thing, Bush did have a Congressional resolution to go into Iraq, unfortunately you left out that he had to lie and manipulate data to get that resolution.
- jon, hooksett
I can't help but laugh reading the comments supporting this action by the president. My how quickly things change depending on who is in charge of bombing other countries with or without the approval of Congress. And once again even our greatest, smartest president ever has been duped by the Arab states to use military force with their blessing, only to get the proverbial knife in the back once the shooting and bombing starts. Apparently the Arab/Muslim nations know how to disable a dictator's army without anyone getting hurt in the process, just like the President knows how to stimulate an economy without anyone creating new jobs or supplying the affordable energy needed. The silver tongue of politicians be they Muslim, Christian, Jew, or atheist is always its best after the fact as they play the suckers who refuse to look at them for what they really are and gladly follow them to their demise because for some admitting they may have made a mistake is worse than living in reality and correcting the problem.
Geoff, Windham I couldn't agree more, but would extend that to all who seek the power of political office. We have far too many people either elected or appointed who are not qualified for the positions they hold and too many voters who elect people without looking at their voting records and past achievements and are swayed by slick speeches and emotional mumbo jumbo which is political correctness when all is said and done.
- Patriot, Salem
Bill and Qasim,
Are you guys sitting down? OK. I hate to break it to you, but Congress approved the war in Iraq.
- Rick, Portsmouth
If I were Obama, I'd recommend involuntary population exchanges (but orderly and beurocratic as in the Turkey/Greece case) between Bahrain and Yemen and either Kuwait or Iran. Those Shiites and Sunnis need to be separated before they start killing each other AGAIN. We wouldn't want their blood spattered on the fences of our naval bases over there. Besides, if they kill each other off, who will pump our oil?
- Jim, Manchester, Ward 9
Qasim in manchester,
No. Bush had non-binding votes from Congress in support of both the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns. Bush had UN resolutions passed with less abstentions than Sarkozy's resolution for Libya, which Germany, Russia, China, India and Brazil opposed by were bullied into abstaining from voting.
I otherwords, Obama's actions are far more 'unilaterist' than Bush ever was, despite having campiagned to the contrary.
- Jim, Manchester, Ward 9
"credible Al Quaeda involvement on the rebel side"? I guess if you are giving credit to duh-daffy's maniacal lies. We have the greatest military force in the world, & if there is anything worth killing for, it is for the dignity & freedom of the oppressed people of this world. We have failed many times, but that doesnt mean we should stop trying. We can't hide in our cave & hope the evils of the world will stay off of our doorstep, they won't.
- Thad, dalton
Obama is just the last in a long series of Presidents who have misused the so-call Department of Defense for military adventures that have no relationship to the nations vital interests. I wonder why Muslims around the world think they are under attack by the West? It is shameful to misuse our sons and daughters this way.
- Joe, Colebrook
Bush's war was ok but this isn't ?
No matter what Obama does - he's wrong.
The only motivation for these machinations is to prevent a 2d term.
Doomed to fail - he will get a second term as the republicans have already botched there opportunity.
Stupid is as stupid does - you union busting pukes.
- Bill, Manchester
Did any of you notice that Obama got the entire world on his side? Bush got nobody.
That's the way to lead. Great job as usual, President Obama. We now have better relations with the world than ever before. The only reason that any of you tea baggers are against Obama is because he is a democrat and intelligent. I, as a liberal, am against this war but if you are going to war, this is the way to do it.
- Jean, Manchester
Pat Buchanan- always the bridesmaid, never the bride...
- Tom, Manchester
Nowi have heard it all republicans described as hippies...lol.
- chris, goffstown
The about face of so many Republican mouthpieces criticizing Obama for doing exactly the same thing their patron saint Ronald Reagan did is almost too comical. Then again, by today's neocon standards, Reagan would probably be considered a liberal.
However, I do agree with his central thesis that we have no business there. If only Pat could have expressed the same outrage 8 years earlier when GWB felt the need to expend a trillion dollars and sacrifice thousands of American lives on GWB's useless Iraq campaign.
- Bob, Hudson
Isnt that exactly what Bush did?? Invade a country without national or international permission??
- Qasim, manchester
There are credible reports that the rebels are being supported by al Queda.What a surprise that our "President" supports them also and desires no debate in Congress. Where is Code Pink and all the other anti war orgs now? Are US forces actually helping terrorists come to power? Even Bush had a Congressional resolution to go into Iraq, and a much larger coalition of nations. If ever there was an illegal war this is it.
- Rick C, Goffstown
"It is 3 a.m. Somewhere in the world, there is a crisis. The phone is ringing at the White House. Who do you want answering it?" The nation heard this ad and instead picked a shuck-and-jive community activist with open disdain for America's heritage and interests. When the jets roared in, he was kicking a soccer ball in the slums of Rio--trying, as always, to look cool.
- Spike, Brentwood NH
Probably for the first time I say you are wrong Pat. We need to remove this thug. If Bush was a president, there would have been no question. Khaddafi is a trouble maker who has been a major obstacle to American foreign policy for decades. The operation is straight forward as long as there no troops on the ground. It is a good exercise for our troops and should be paid for by the libyans. Obama did the right thing for a change.
- Smith, hamilton
This is out of character for Buchanan, this time his usual rambling diatribe has a few salient points.
Obama has really demonstrated he has no leadership or decision making abilities, deferring to Hillary and her cronies even on this decision which most likely ended his chances for a second term.
Funny quote I read earlier.... Bush followed the Chicken Hawks to war, Obama followed the Hawkish Chicks.
- Tyler Durden, Exeter, NH
For the first time I recall I agree with Pattie. But as usual, he adds useless mid-direction and obfuscation. What does Jacob Zuma's acquittal have anything to do with?
- Dallas Langevin, Concord
NEVER listen to what Barack Obama says. Watch what he does.
- Geoff, Windham
All these hippy peacenick Republicans with their anti-american, anti-troop propaganda. Keep smoking whatever you packed that peace pipe full of, and remember who's fighting for your freedom to speak your hippy dippy drivel.
- Thad, Dalton
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