Updated 10:30 p.m. edt with statement from President Obama
The Libyan rebels liberated a square in downtown Tripoli today with little resistance from Moammar Gadhafi's forces who finally may be abandoning the bloody back and forth revolution of the Arab Spring after six months of fighting.
At least two of Gadhafi's son's, including the loose-tongued Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, have been taken into custody by representatives of the rebel Transitional National Council. They may be turned over to international authorities at The Hague for prosecution.
After half a year of fierce fighting it is almost shocking how Gadhafi forces have disappeared, or are simply refusing to take up arms, just a day after the Tyrant of Tripoli promised rebel invaders street-to-street fighting to the death.
The citizens of Tripoli rising up to join the rebellion overnight should not be underestimated as a key to the speedy fall of the city.
NATO called for a peaceful and immediate transition of power in Libya.
President Obama issued a statement on Martha's Vineyard after he consulted by teleconference with his war council, made up of his top military, civilian and intelligence advisors.
"Tonight, the momentum against the Qadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The Qadhafi regime is showing signs of collapsing. The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator," Obama said.
"Meanwhile, the United States has recognized the Transitional National Council as the legitimate governing authority in Libya. At this pivotal and historic time, the TNC should continue to demonstrate the leadership that is necessary to steer the country through a transition by respecting the rights of the people of Libya, avoiding civilian casualties, protecting the institutions of the Libyan state, and pursuing a transition to democracy that is just and inclusive for all of the people of Libya," Obama added.
The regime claimed to have a 65,000-member force waiting for the rebels, but so far it has not been seen. NATO's eye-in-the sky: mainly U.S. spy satellites and drones, are believed to be keeping a watch for signs of that force.
Gunfire could be heard from small pockets around the city and there was no indication that the rebels had not captured Gadhafi's Bab el-Azizia compound by 9 p.m. Washington time.
It is night in Libya, so NATO and the rebels are waiting to see if daylight brings out the Gadhafi forces. The biggest fear now is of snipers under the cover of darkness.
The rebels moved slowly at first today, capturing key military installations and then finding scant resistance as they pressed on to central Tripoli and occupied what was formerly known as Green Square, renaming it Martyr's Square. It had been a favorite rallying spot for the Gadhafi regime.
There are very strong indications that elite forces from Western nations have lead, plotted and coordinated the rebel attacks. For months sources have said at the very least ex-American, British and French special forces have been among the trainers on the ground.
French-armed forces out of the Nafusa mountains led the invasion of Tripoli, backed by a daring dawn sea assault from fighters out of Misurata dubbed "Operation Mermaid Dawn." Overnight, NATO paved the way with strategic air strikes on military installations and command and communications facilities.
The rebels raised a French flag to apparently say thank you for the arms from Paris.
The Nafusa army includes at least two forces known as the Tripoli Brigades made up of men who fled the city to train and fight Gadhafi forces on a western front that virtually popped up overnight at the end of the spring.
The Nafusa fighters slowly, but steadily rolled towards Tripoli, while Gadhafi forces were focusing on the main rebel army out of the Transitional National Council capital Benghazi, and another force in Misurata,
Along the way the rebels captured tanks and other armor and coordinated with NATO warplanes, holding down friendly fire casualties to a relatively few, given the size and scope of the battlefield.
NATO's strategic strikes overnight, the Nafusa brigade's march on Tripoli and a daring dawn sea landing by Misurata fighters was a potent combination.
Freedom-seeking Libyans began their pro-democracy Arab Spring uprising on Feb. 17, hoping the Gadhafi regime would implode and the army would back their cause, as the armed forces did in the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.
When Gadhafi ordered his forces to crack down on the peaceful Arab Spring protesters, they decided to fight back. The rebels took up arms, made some quick gains, but on March 19 an armored tank column under orders from Gadhafi was poised outside Benghazi, promising to exterminate the rebels in their stronghold once and for all.
And then that same day, French fighter jets and more than 110 U.S. and British cruise missiles lit it up against Gadhafi, virtually giving the Libyan rebels the most powerful air and sea force on the planet.
The mission, sanctioned by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, was initially under the command of Army Gen. Carter Ham, commander of the U.S. Africa Command
The U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps did the lion's share of the work, until March 27 when NATO took on the whole military operation in Libya under the command of Lt. Gen. Charlie Bouchard of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey, the lone Muslim member of NATO, ultimately joined the mission.
The U.S. provided ships, drones, AWACS and other support after NATO took over, but American air strikes were still called in when necessary. Britain and France showed its commitment to the campaign when they upped the ante in late May and committed Apache and Gazelle attack helicopters to the campaign.
The Western and Arab coalition did not lose a single man or woman in combat, strongly suggesting the U.S. Africa Command, NATO and Arab coalition members pulled off the mission with random precision. France and Qatar also scored some points by breaking UN rules and arming the rebels.
Showing posts with label NATO Navy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NATO Navy. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Surrounded, Gadhafi Looking for Refuge Outside of Libya
Moammar Gadhafi is looking for an Arab country willing to give him safe haven after rebel armies cut off his supply lines and captured his last oil refinery as NATO warplanes kept his tanks from countering the opposition's ferocious week-long offensive, according to published and broadcast reports.
Civilians have begun fleeing Tripoli, fearing street-to-street fighting or one last act of deadly defiance by Gadhafi against his people.
NATO bombed Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound overnight. At least seven loud blasts were heard and felt by Western journalists in Tripoli, the Associated Press reported.
NBC reports Gadhafi could leave Libya, possibly for Tunisia, in a matter of days. NBC cited intelligence reports out of Washington. The loyalist government claimed it was engaged in talks with the rebels, asking for a cease-fire.
Gadhafi sent inquiries to Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, indicating he and his family are looking for a safe haven that would bring an end to his defiant stand against the revolutionaries of the Arab Spring, a representative of the rebel Transitional National Council in Cairo told the Pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.
"Gadhafi is looking for a safe haven for his family in the case that Tripoli falls into the hands of the revolutionaries,"said Abdel Monem al-Houni, who was Gadhafi's top delegate to the Arab League before defecting to the rebel side.
The rebels say they have taken most of Zawiya, within 30 miles west of downtown Tripoli, capturing the last remaining oil refinery that had been proving fuel to the regime. Two other rebel armies have captured Zlintan to the east and Gharyan to the south with the help of Western air power, and the NATO Navy has cut off shipping to Tripoli.
Gadhafi and what remains of his forces are surrounded by what was once an uncoordinated rag-tag rebel force and a NATO alliance that has refused to put troops on the ground.
The key to the campaign was the emergence of a French-armed rebel division that came out of the Nafusa mountains in the West. With Gadhafi's forces tied up with the main rebel army in the east near Brega and separate opposition brigades out of Misurata, the Nafusa insurgents were able to march on Zawiya. NATO warplanes made it nearly impossible for Gadhafi's armor to move to re-enforce a loyalist garrison in that city.
France secretly parachuted small arms weapons, including tank-killers, in the Nafusa region earlier this summer, and more recently Qatar flew truckloads of ammunition into the captured air field outside of Misurata. NATO warships recently also helped the rebels capture a tanker loaded with fuel bound for Tripoli. The ship sailed into the de facto opposition capital Benghazi with rebels aboard.
"The Gadhafi regime has few days before it breathes its last," al-Houni said.
Civilians have begun fleeing Tripoli, fearing street-to-street fighting or one last act of deadly defiance by Gadhafi against his people.
NATO bombed Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound overnight. At least seven loud blasts were heard and felt by Western journalists in Tripoli, the Associated Press reported.
NBC reports Gadhafi could leave Libya, possibly for Tunisia, in a matter of days. NBC cited intelligence reports out of Washington. The loyalist government claimed it was engaged in talks with the rebels, asking for a cease-fire.
Gadhafi sent inquiries to Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, indicating he and his family are looking for a safe haven that would bring an end to his defiant stand against the revolutionaries of the Arab Spring, a representative of the rebel Transitional National Council in Cairo told the Pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.
"Gadhafi is looking for a safe haven for his family in the case that Tripoli falls into the hands of the revolutionaries,"said Abdel Monem al-Houni, who was Gadhafi's top delegate to the Arab League before defecting to the rebel side.
The rebels say they have taken most of Zawiya, within 30 miles west of downtown Tripoli, capturing the last remaining oil refinery that had been proving fuel to the regime. Two other rebel armies have captured Zlintan to the east and Gharyan to the south with the help of Western air power, and the NATO Navy has cut off shipping to Tripoli.
Gadhafi and what remains of his forces are surrounded by what was once an uncoordinated rag-tag rebel force and a NATO alliance that has refused to put troops on the ground.
The key to the campaign was the emergence of a French-armed rebel division that came out of the Nafusa mountains in the West. With Gadhafi's forces tied up with the main rebel army in the east near Brega and separate opposition brigades out of Misurata, the Nafusa insurgents were able to march on Zawiya. NATO warplanes made it nearly impossible for Gadhafi's armor to move to re-enforce a loyalist garrison in that city.
France secretly parachuted small arms weapons, including tank-killers, in the Nafusa region earlier this summer, and more recently Qatar flew truckloads of ammunition into the captured air field outside of Misurata. NATO warships recently also helped the rebels capture a tanker loaded with fuel bound for Tripoli. The ship sailed into the de facto opposition capital Benghazi with rebels aboard.
"The Gadhafi regime has few days before it breathes its last," al-Houni said.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
G-8 Looks to Help Libyan Rebels & NATO
Updated 4:45 p.m. edt
France and Britain will deploy 16 helicopter gunships in Libya, including British Apaches, claiming Moammar Gadhafi is on the run and the precision ground attack aircraft will hasten the demise of his forces, according to the Financial Times.
The attack helicopters could be ready to go in a matter of days, the newspaper reported today. The leaders of the Britain, France and the United States discussed the decision to deploy the helicopters on the sidelines today at the Group of Eight summit in France.
The Associated Press later confirmed that the British government had green-lighted the use of Apaches in Libya.
As previously reported, France is sending 12 Tiger and Gazelle helicopters aboard the amphibious assault ship Tonnerre. The Apaches are on the British amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean, the Financial Times said.
end update
---[
As world leaders meet at a French resort in Normandy, the Canadians are apparently coming under a little pressure to do a bit more in Libya.
Canada, of course, is not the only NATO member feeling the heat from the French, British and U.S., who are doing the lion's share of the work in Libya. However, it is a touchy subject since the commander of the NATO mission in Libya, Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, hails from the Canadian air force.
Hoping to deflect the jabs, Canadian military officials released raw figures this week showing their fighter jets have dropped 240 bombs over Libya during 324 sorties, The Toronto Star reported.
Ottawa has sent six CF-18 fighters, patrol and refuelling aircraft and the ship HMCS Charlottetown.
The G-8 summit in France comes as the Gadhafi regime floated its latest ceasefire deal, which so far is being received with a yawn by the Western powers.
Meanwhile, during one of the most under-reported diplomatic missions this week, Abdurraham Mohamed Shalgham, the Gadhafi regime's former UN ambassador until he publicly split with the dictator at the UN Security Council in February, re-surfaced in Moscow.
Shalgham, who delivered upon his resignation a dramatic headline-making address in which he likened the Libyan leader to Adolf Hitler, was greeted by one of the NATO mission's biggest critics, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The meeting, seen in diplomatic circles as much more than Moscow hedging its bet, came a week after he held talks with an envoy for Gadhafi.
"Russia is an important state and plays an important role in Libya. Russia has its own ideas, and I want to listen to them," said Shalgham was quoted as saying by The Moscow Times.
Shalgham, who also had served as Gadhafi's foreign minister at one time, indicated there was no ill-will with Russia for its criticism, saying the Transitional National Council understood Lavrov's position.
In another sign that the TNC is winning over Western governments' hearts and minds, the rebel government accepted an invitation this week from the U.S. to open a liaison office in Washington.
The European Union and Germany also opened liaison offices in the de facto rebel capital, Benghazi.
It was also announced the rebels have begun selling oil headed to the U.S. In a deal first agreed upon in late April, U.S. refiner Tesoro purchased the first oil cargo sold by rebels who need cash to finance their fight with Gadhafi.
San Antonio-based Tesoro told Reuters the Libyan rebel crude will processed in its Hawaii refinery.
France and Britain will deploy 16 helicopter gunships in Libya, including British Apaches, claiming Moammar Gadhafi is on the run and the precision ground attack aircraft will hasten the demise of his forces, according to the Financial Times.
The attack helicopters could be ready to go in a matter of days, the newspaper reported today. The leaders of the Britain, France and the United States discussed the decision to deploy the helicopters on the sidelines today at the Group of Eight summit in France.
The Associated Press later confirmed that the British government had green-lighted the use of Apaches in Libya.
As previously reported, France is sending 12 Tiger and Gazelle helicopters aboard the amphibious assault ship Tonnerre. The Apaches are on the British amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean, the Financial Times said.
end update
---[
As world leaders meet at a French resort in Normandy, the Canadians are apparently coming under a little pressure to do a bit more in Libya.
Canada, of course, is not the only NATO member feeling the heat from the French, British and U.S., who are doing the lion's share of the work in Libya. However, it is a touchy subject since the commander of the NATO mission in Libya, Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, hails from the Canadian air force.
Hoping to deflect the jabs, Canadian military officials released raw figures this week showing their fighter jets have dropped 240 bombs over Libya during 324 sorties, The Toronto Star reported.
Ottawa has sent six CF-18 fighters, patrol and refuelling aircraft and the ship HMCS Charlottetown.
The G-8 summit in France comes as the Gadhafi regime floated its latest ceasefire deal, which so far is being received with a yawn by the Western powers.
Meanwhile, during one of the most under-reported diplomatic missions this week, Abdurraham Mohamed Shalgham, the Gadhafi regime's former UN ambassador until he publicly split with the dictator at the UN Security Council in February, re-surfaced in Moscow.
Shalgham, who delivered upon his resignation a dramatic headline-making address in which he likened the Libyan leader to Adolf Hitler, was greeted by one of the NATO mission's biggest critics, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The meeting, seen in diplomatic circles as much more than Moscow hedging its bet, came a week after he held talks with an envoy for Gadhafi.
"Russia is an important state and plays an important role in Libya. Russia has its own ideas, and I want to listen to them," said Shalgham was quoted as saying by The Moscow Times.
Shalgham, who also had served as Gadhafi's foreign minister at one time, indicated there was no ill-will with Russia for its criticism, saying the Transitional National Council understood Lavrov's position.
In another sign that the TNC is winning over Western governments' hearts and minds, the rebel government accepted an invitation this week from the U.S. to open a liaison office in Washington.
The European Union and Germany also opened liaison offices in the de facto rebel capital, Benghazi.
It was also announced the rebels have begun selling oil headed to the U.S. In a deal first agreed upon in late April, U.S. refiner Tesoro purchased the first oil cargo sold by rebels who need cash to finance their fight with Gadhafi.
San Antonio-based Tesoro told Reuters the Libyan rebel crude will processed in its Hawaii refinery.
Monday, May 16, 2011
ICC Charges Gadhafi; NATO Blows Up Bomb Boat
Updated 5:15 p.m. edt
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim shrugged off the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Moammar Gadhafi, noting the ICC's "impotence" in apprehending other wanted leaders, like Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, remains in Khartoum despite charges in 2008 that he had a direct role in the genocide in Darfur.
“The ICC is not important for us. We are not part of the Rome statute. We will not show any attention to the decision, Kaim said, according to The Telegraph of London. “The practices of the ICC are questionable. It’s a baby of the European union designed for [prosecuting] African leaders.”
"We are more interested [in] the human rights council and in moving forward with trying to implement a ceasefire," Kaim said, according to The Guardian of London.
end update
---[
An arrest warrant was issued today for Moammar Gadhafi, charging him with crimes against humanity for the slaughter of protesters who called for democratic reforms and an end to his 41-year rule.
At The Hague, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo also requested judges consider issuing warrants for Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam and his brother-in-law and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, Reuters reported.
Now what? Does charging Gadhafi and his son and brother-in-law with war crimes further entrench the regime or does it send a massage to others to get out now before they face similar counts from the international court, ponders one blogger at Foreign Policy.
The court actions came as NATO maintained a stepped up tempo against Gadhafi forces and targets.
NATO warships intercepted a small boat rigged by Gadhafi forces with high explosives meant to disrupt shipping into Misurata. NATO blew the boat, manned with two life-like human dummies, out of the water.
"This is the first evidence of an attempt to use an improvised explosive device with decoy human mannequins to threaten commercial shipping and humanitarian aid in the area of Misrata," NATO said in a statement.
There were also reports of NATO air strikes overnight on Tripoli and one of the city's suburbs Tajoura. There were also strikes on Zawiyah, about 30 miles west of Tripoli, and Zuara, 80 miles west of the capital.
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim shrugged off the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Moammar Gadhafi, noting the ICC's "impotence" in apprehending other wanted leaders, like Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, remains in Khartoum despite charges in 2008 that he had a direct role in the genocide in Darfur.
“The ICC is not important for us. We are not part of the Rome statute. We will not show any attention to the decision, Kaim said, according to The Telegraph of London. “The practices of the ICC are questionable. It’s a baby of the European union designed for [prosecuting] African leaders.”
"We are more interested [in] the human rights council and in moving forward with trying to implement a ceasefire," Kaim said, according to The Guardian of London.
end update
---[
An arrest warrant was issued today for Moammar Gadhafi, charging him with crimes against humanity for the slaughter of protesters who called for democratic reforms and an end to his 41-year rule.
At The Hague, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo also requested judges consider issuing warrants for Gadhafi's son Saif al-Islam and his brother-in-law and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, Reuters reported.
Now what? Does charging Gadhafi and his son and brother-in-law with war crimes further entrench the regime or does it send a massage to others to get out now before they face similar counts from the international court, ponders one blogger at Foreign Policy.
The court actions came as NATO maintained a stepped up tempo against Gadhafi forces and targets.
NATO warships intercepted a small boat rigged by Gadhafi forces with high explosives meant to disrupt shipping into Misurata. NATO blew the boat, manned with two life-like human dummies, out of the water.
"This is the first evidence of an attempt to use an improvised explosive device with decoy human mannequins to threaten commercial shipping and humanitarian aid in the area of Misrata," NATO said in a statement.
There were also reports of NATO air strikes overnight on Tripoli and one of the city's suburbs Tajoura. There were also strikes on Zawiyah, about 30 miles west of Tripoli, and Zuara, 80 miles west of the capital.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Rebels Stall; U.S. Still in Fight; Sarkozy's War
There is plenty of diplomatic activity and Libyan rebels are getting more organized, but Brega remains a stalemate in the sand as the rebels and the forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi continue to push back and oath in the eastern Libyan oil town.
The U.S. agreed to extend its role in the Libya mission through today because of inclement weather the last few days, suggesting there were still some targets that require "unique capabilities." Available aircraft include Air Force AC-130 gunships, A-10 Thunderbolts and Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers -- all powerful weapons used in close-in air support.
Ex-President Bill Clinton tells ABC the U.S. should consider arming the rebels.
Newsweek takes a look at how French President Nicolas Sarkozy pushed for action in Libya. French trainers are in Eastern Libya, Newsweek says.
More on Sarkozy and Bernard-Henri Levy, the French writer and philosopher who played a hands-on role in pressing France and the West to back the rebels, from The New York Times.
The Daily calls the rebels' training "Warfare 101"
The Washington Post takes note of who's who in the international coalition at this point.
Libyan envoy asks for ceasefire in Greece, but offers nothing new in return, Al Jazeera reports.
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi is proposing a transition to constitutional democracy in Libya under his direction, reports The New York Times.
Misurata wounded on Turkish relief ship speak of brutal fighting, and their resolve, CNN reports.
The U.S. agreed to extend its role in the Libya mission through today because of inclement weather the last few days, suggesting there were still some targets that require "unique capabilities." Available aircraft include Air Force AC-130 gunships, A-10 Thunderbolts and Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers -- all powerful weapons used in close-in air support.
Ex-President Bill Clinton tells ABC the U.S. should consider arming the rebels.
Newsweek takes a look at how French President Nicolas Sarkozy pushed for action in Libya. French trainers are in Eastern Libya, Newsweek says.
More on Sarkozy and Bernard-Henri Levy, the French writer and philosopher who played a hands-on role in pressing France and the West to back the rebels, from The New York Times.
The Daily calls the rebels' training "Warfare 101"
The Washington Post takes note of who's who in the international coalition at this point.
Libyan envoy asks for ceasefire in Greece, but offers nothing new in return, Al Jazeera reports.
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi is proposing a transition to constitutional democracy in Libya under his direction, reports The New York Times.
Misurata wounded on Turkish relief ship speak of brutal fighting, and their resolve, CNN reports.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Essay: Libya Is A War For All The Right Reasons
The first time I was exposed to the Navy's ad and slogan, "A Global force for good," I could not keep myself from thinking out loud that the marketing people had poured a little too much sugar on its messaging this time.
"That's Madison Avenue packaging. The last two wars we got into were for revenge," I said.
"I like it," a neo-hawk friend snapped back as we watched The Winter X Games. "It sends the right message."
The back and forth went on for a bit with neither of us swayed by the other's argument.
Well, as the saying goes, seeing is believing, and given the U.S. response in Libya, now I am a believer.
The Navy owns the ad, but not the message: the Air Force, Marines and Army personnel involved right now in Libya are all a force for good. They have stopped much of Moammar Gadhafi's killings, they are trying to help avoid a humanitarian crisis and the playing field has been leveled for the rebels.
The good guys (the coalition and NATO) are winning, but somehow President Obama's critics find fault in his soul-searching decision to avoid another Srebrenica, another Rwanda, another Darfur, another Warsaw Ghetto. His critics charge that Obama should have sought congressional approval, suggesting erroneously that he did something unconstitutional.
Some Republicans, like Newt Gingrich, even went so far as to flip-flop in order to take a politically charged swipe at Obama's Libya policy. Gingrich was actually for a no-fly zone before he was against it.
Liberal Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich hinted that Obama had committed an impeachable act by circumventing Congress. Some of my leftist colleagues were split: Some wrote Kucinich was right, others accused him of providing aid and comfort to his enemy, the Republicans.
Washington journalists dine out on this kind of political discourse, relishing the quotes that spew from all comers and gleefully scribbling every word. But with American servicemen and women in action right now in Libya are these lawmakers, and their echo chamber, going too far this time to score political points?
During the buildup and early days of the Iraq war, the White House would question the patriotism of anyone who criticized the beat of then-President George W. Bush's war drums.
Bush's Barnumesque buildup to the war back then would be laughable at this point, if more than a 100,000 Americans, Brits, Iraqis and others had not lost their lives, while countless others were injured, many severely, in that war of revenge.
In "selling" the Libya mission, there were no "slam dunk" predictions that weapons of mass destruction would turn up, no counterfeit documents claiming a despot was buying "yellow cake uranium" in Nigeria, no rumors of the dictator's connection to Al Qaeda, and a CIA operative's career would not be destroyed for political revenge.
No, instead Team Barack argued: Innocent Libyans are going to die under Gadhafi's orders, and our allies in that neighborhood could suffer from the disruption to the region.
And, thanks to a special breed of government worker, the men and women who wear the uniforms of the American Armed Forces, lives have been saved in Libya. As Obama has said, it has so far been a success.
There will be plenty of time to hear from congressional committees and cloistered constitutional scholars on whether Obama overreached in not seeking the blessing of Congress. For now, though, it may be best to not politicize the essential work of the global force for good.
"That's Madison Avenue packaging. The last two wars we got into were for revenge," I said.
"I like it," a neo-hawk friend snapped back as we watched The Winter X Games. "It sends the right message."
The back and forth went on for a bit with neither of us swayed by the other's argument.
Well, as the saying goes, seeing is believing, and given the U.S. response in Libya, now I am a believer.
The Navy owns the ad, but not the message: the Air Force, Marines and Army personnel involved right now in Libya are all a force for good. They have stopped much of Moammar Gadhafi's killings, they are trying to help avoid a humanitarian crisis and the playing field has been leveled for the rebels.
The good guys (the coalition and NATO) are winning, but somehow President Obama's critics find fault in his soul-searching decision to avoid another Srebrenica, another Rwanda, another Darfur, another Warsaw Ghetto. His critics charge that Obama should have sought congressional approval, suggesting erroneously that he did something unconstitutional.
Some Republicans, like Newt Gingrich, even went so far as to flip-flop in order to take a politically charged swipe at Obama's Libya policy. Gingrich was actually for a no-fly zone before he was against it.
Liberal Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich hinted that Obama had committed an impeachable act by circumventing Congress. Some of my leftist colleagues were split: Some wrote Kucinich was right, others accused him of providing aid and comfort to his enemy, the Republicans.
Washington journalists dine out on this kind of political discourse, relishing the quotes that spew from all comers and gleefully scribbling every word. But with American servicemen and women in action right now in Libya are these lawmakers, and their echo chamber, going too far this time to score political points?
During the buildup and early days of the Iraq war, the White House would question the patriotism of anyone who criticized the beat of then-President George W. Bush's war drums.
Bush's Barnumesque buildup to the war back then would be laughable at this point, if more than a 100,000 Americans, Brits, Iraqis and others had not lost their lives, while countless others were injured, many severely, in that war of revenge.
In "selling" the Libya mission, there were no "slam dunk" predictions that weapons of mass destruction would turn up, no counterfeit documents claiming a despot was buying "yellow cake uranium" in Nigeria, no rumors of the dictator's connection to Al Qaeda, and a CIA operative's career would not be destroyed for political revenge.
No, instead Team Barack argued: Innocent Libyans are going to die under Gadhafi's orders, and our allies in that neighborhood could suffer from the disruption to the region.
And, thanks to a special breed of government worker, the men and women who wear the uniforms of the American Armed Forces, lives have been saved in Libya. As Obama has said, it has so far been a success.
There will be plenty of time to hear from congressional committees and cloistered constitutional scholars on whether Obama overreached in not seeking the blessing of Congress. For now, though, it may be best to not politicize the essential work of the global force for good.
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