The American Spectator

MIXED MESSAGES
Re: Ben Stein’s One World Government Obama and We Have an Illegal War:

 Ben Stein is an astute political observer and a great American. He more than almost all politicians has his finger on the pulse of the American majority.

But more than that his personal sense of morality and justice reflect what used to be the American identity. He should be a write-in candidate for president of the United States. I’ve emailed him twice previously to offer feedback on his speeches and he’s responded kindly within minutes both times.
— Mike Ligon

I can concur with Stein’s position and critique on Libya, but did he take the same positions on our illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan that were precipitated by the previous administration? If he takes the position that we were attacked by Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or some other mythical lie concocted by our government to justify the previous administrations illegal invasions, then I have a bridge to the moon that I can sell you. The U.S. does not care about the Libyan people, it’s all about destroying Gaddafi’s military capability so he does not attack oil production, Israel, Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait.
— Harvey Rifkin

I call your attention to one pertinent fact: that the Europeans are taking the initiative. That is most uncharacteristic, given, for example, that they were AWOL when war raged in Kosovo —their back yard. Therefore, they must have a strong motive for intervening here. The only obvious one is to stem the flood of most unwelcome refugees, all bound for Europe. Thus the goal is cynical and simple: end the conflict quickly —no matter who takes over afterwards. Why Zero is carrying their water for them is another question, but a minor one —I’m sure he doesn’t really know himself.
— Mike Walsh

Where were you when President Cheney and is puppet Bush were ignoring the Constitution with the lies that lead to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Answer, You were their most consistent cheerleader. Your bleating here about your new-found respect for constitutional government strike this reader as too little, too late.

The United States hasn’t declared war since 1941, but that hasn’t stemmed the death toll of our soldiers, nor the destruction of the economy, that is the inevitable end of all empires. The destruction of our country comes from the collusion of both sides of the aisle, or I should say, flip sides of the same coin. The only principled position is in opposition to the whole sordid affair presented by our two party oligarchy.
— Kit Maira
San Fernando, CA

President Obama got the right to send the country to war from George W. Bush. The Constitution was laid to rest under George W. Bush. There was no resolution to spend money on the invasion of Iraq, no declaration of war against Iraq, just an excuse for Bush to order an illegal invasion. Yes, illegal. Saddam complied with every requirement that was made of him, and Bush invaded anyway.

Oh, in case you forgot, the justification for the war was, originally, Saddam’s failure to comply with UN requirements. Ex post facto it was justified by the fact that he was killing his own people.

So, yes, President Obama got the authority to attack Libya from your support of Bush’s invasion of Iraq. What? No congressional debate? Since when did congressional debate mean anything in the real world? Saddam Hussein and Iraq were no threat at all to the United States, a fact that was known to the Bush administration before the invasion. Reread the Senate Select Committee report on pre-war intel again, only this time really read it. Both parts. Oh, and read the inspectors reports while you are at it.

As to the “Third Concurrent War,” your side would have no problem at all with that were the target Iran, or even Venezuela.

As to going on vacation the same day, I don’t know just which day it was, but I do recall George H.W. Bush racing around in the waters off Maine in his gas guzzling cigarette boat while U.S. troops were preparing for war in Iraq the first time around.

Where did President Obama get the authority to send U.S. forces to attack Iraq? From G.W. Bush, and from your support for G.W. Bush and his war for oil.
— Bob Klahn
USAF 1967-1971 SSGT

I am quite right wing but just as I don’t like the left reading out of a playbook that applies to the right as well. If Stein would have kept his comments to questioning whether the president of the U.S. has the right to declare war then that is a reasonable argument. To focus only on Obama, and to snidely refer to him as “Mr. Barack Obama” shows that Stein, and by extension, the Spectator are simply reading from the right-wing playbook. Other presidents, including Reagan, Bush 1 and 2, have done similar things. Show some intellectual consistency if you expect to expand your readership. You’ve lost mine.
— Victor Kharmalov

Ever sadder that the Republican leadership is so quiet on the issue. Elections have consequences? Not when Republicans win.
— John Schuh