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The Spectacle Blog
President Obama’s not the only one who believes that “words matter.” So, too, does Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. That’s why he’s blithely ignored his own ceasefire and, in clear defiance of President Obama and the “international community” continued his assault on the rebel forces trapped in Benghazi.
Finally and belatedly, it seems, French jets are en route to Libya to begin enforcement of the United Nations resolution which authorizes “all necessary measures…to protect civilians and civilian populated areas, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force.”
I sincerely hope that French and British military action will be sufficient to stop Gaddafi and his mercenary army. I am, however, dubious.
Air power alone, after all cannot win wars. You need boots on the ground to root out the enemy and occupy terrain. Yet Obama has ruled out the use of American ground troops in Libya.
The U.N. resolution, meanwhile, explicitly excludes “an occupying force” and, in any case, does not explicitly call for Gaddafi’s removal from power.
This was a tactical blunder that, in the past 24 hours, has had decisive strategic consequences. Unfortunately for the Libyan people and the United States, the decisive strategic consequences have all been in Gaddafi’s favor. He seems to have concluded, and rightly so, that the United States and the United Nations are not committed to winning in Libya.
Instead, we are committed, it seems, to humanitarian half measures that will allow Gaddafi to stay in power, while, over time, he harasses and destroys the rebel forces.
Thus Gaddafi has ignored his own ceasefire, his forces have continued to advance toward Benghazi, and it is only a matter of time before he has snuffed out any and all opposition.
Will British and French air power be enough to save the Libyan rebels at this late hour? Will aerial bombardments cause Gaddafi to relinquish power? Military history suggests otherwise.
Still, if there were ever a place where air power alone could win a war, it might well be Libya, which is comprised mostly of flat desert terrain. The enemy, consequently, has nowhere to hide.
Gaddafi’s African mercenaries, moreover, are not exactly well-trained or elite troops. In fact, quite the opposite.
Nonetheless, Gaddafi seems to have concluded that in the absence of American and allied soldiers and marines, he could continue his advance toward Benghazi with impunity.
And that’s the problem. Obama’s threatening words mean very little to Gaddafi because he already knows with certainty that the Commander-in-Chief of the American Armed Forces absolutely will not send U.S. ground troops to Libya.
View all comments (56) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by John R. Guardiano
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Michael L. Hauschild| 3.19.11 @ 2:28PM
Spot on, John.
Alan Brooks| 3.19.11 @ 9:00PM
At this moment Gadhafi is being attacked, he is not long for this world.
But you wont be grateful to Obama, because you are congenital liars and ingrates. No matter what Obama does, he is to be scorned- as you want a GOP president to be elected next year, to act as a Reaganclone.
David W| 3.19.11 @ 10:46PM
Yes, we want a Reagan clone. It would be far better than a what? Jimmy Carter Clone? Woodrow Wilson Clone? Reverend Wright Clone? Louis Farrakhan Clone? Bill Ayers Clone? I guess we can be thankful that he isn't a Teddy Kennedy Clone, or a Che Guevara Clone (at least not yet).
Alan Brooks| 3.19.11 @ 11:19PM
A clone is not quite the real thing, i.e. Dolly the sheep.
Even when Gaddhafi is dead you wont be grateful.
But Obama will be re-elected, and I will vote for him.
Oldefarte| 3.20.11 @ 11:09AM
Yeah, he may be 're-elected' senator from Chicago, and no doubt there would also many other idiots that 'will vote for him' in/around the CITY THAT CORRUPTION FORGOT!!!!!
Oldefarte| 3.20.11 @ 11:11AM
Did you mean that 'you will vote for him', meaning Gaddafi????????
Oldefarte| 3.20.11 @ 11:17AM
You are partially right, BUT we want not a 'Reaganclone' to be elected, but rather a sane, rational, professionally-experienced, non-Harvard lawyer/ambulance chaser, non Wright deciple, American citizen, non-community organizer, non- neo colonialist, non-beer-summit guy, non-AYERSCLONE non-union organizer/goon TO BE ELECTED!!!!!!!!!!
Sean| 3.19.11 @ 2:30PM
The US military should not be anywhere near Libya. The has not been any declaration of war made by Congress.
Truth to Power| 3.19.11 @ 3:10PM
We are still waiting for them to make the declaration of war for Quasi-war with France as well as others. Apparently even the founding fathers didn't see things your way.
Mike w| 3.19.11 @ 4:35PM
The founding fathers didn't foresee the imperial presidency where some goofball community organizer or some goofball texas rich kid could arbitrarily take us into war that has no bearing on us.
Most of the people talking "boot on the ground" never have put the boots on in the first place.
You guys need to get over your Walter Mitty complex where you are proxy warriors in the struggle against evil.
Truth to Power| 3.19.11 @ 5:41PM
I did my time in the army and I am not excited about Libya. I just don't think the declaration of war interpretation of paleocons is correct. I also think that people that talk of an imperial America don't know what they are talking about.
Sean| 3.19.11 @ 8:28PM
Most of what the Federal government is doing is unconstitutional as is. Just because they are doing it and the courts are upholding it doesn't mean conservatives should support it.
Floyd Looney| 3.19.11 @ 8:46PM
interpretation? You deny that the Constitution gives power to declare war to Congress? really?
Alan Brooks| 3.19.11 @ 10:44PM
Just off Gadhafi and be done with it.
He called his opponents greasy rats, mice and cockroaches who deserve no mercy.
To Hell with dithering-- gadhafi is on his way to that great Oasis in the sky.
Jonah| 3.20.11 @ 6:19PM
Easy for you to say, chickenhawk.
beebop| 3.19.11 @ 7:08PM
I think you're just upset that you supported BHO versus the real dem candidate with balls ....
Sean| 3.19.11 @ 8:27PM
What exactly are you talking about? I have never supported Obama. I am questioning his unconstitutional use of our military.
Alan Brooks| 3.19.11 @ 9:02PM
Or maybe you hate Israel. In that case, up your poop chute.
Oldefarte| 3.20.11 @ 11:05AM
You must be referring to Hilly?????????
pas cher shox | 3.21.11 @ 7:38AM
agree you
Skippy| 3.19.11 @ 4:47PM
It's a few hours late, but we should be sending no bombs, bullets or boys to this sewer.
Let the French do something if they wish. Libya used to be theirs.
I am sick of US being the Intl. 911 call when Europe's Arab neighbors get feisty.
They can all rot in their desert hellholes.
If they want regime change let them fight for it.
We have our own dictator to depose here at home.
PCC| 3.20.11 @ 3:31AM
Libya was never a French colony.
JmsA| 3.20.11 @ 12:37PM
That's right PCC, Libya was actually an Italian colony from 1911 until 1940, when the Brittish kicked them out. Algeria and Southern Morocco (Casablanca) were French colonies.
C Bowen| 3.19.11 @ 5:53PM
John;
Will you state on this blog for the record that you don't believe Congress needs to declare war anymore?
It's a legitimate, defensible position in the current climate--from the Straussian interpretation "Truth to Power" (how 'bout that one?) that the Forefathers by their actions clearly didn't mean it, to the realist that Congressional weakness has already abdicated the power long ago to foreign bodies, but:
On a conservative web site, rather than FrumForum, out with it.
Truth to Power| 3.19.11 @ 8:14PM
When John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison all do something that you claim is illegal maybe there is something wrong with your interpretation. Putting it another way, the guys that wrote and first made the Constitution work didn't see it the way you do. Sorry. Conservative wouldn't be doing it the way C. Bowen says in 2011.
C Bowen| 3.20.11 @ 6:55AM
So because A, B, and C did something illegal, it must not be illegal.
Great logic.
The topic was the Constitution, anyway, and to some degree the American constitution, not the small c.
If you bothered to read my post, I asked John to make his case and be clear, noting that there are in the current climate, intellectual traditions that strangely named folks like you express, though poorly argue- what they are doing on a conservative web site I don't know.
Truth to Power| 3.20.11 @ 8:55AM
A, B and C are more than just three guys. One of them wrote the document you view as some kind of suicide pact. All three helped put meaning to the words. I don't think you have any idea what it means to be a conservative.
C Bowen| 3.20.11 @ 2:52PM
I get it: you think the Constitution means whatever you or whomever is powerful say it means.
Consider changing your handle to the Mad Hatter?
I have asked John to clarify his position, and you have offered a sketch of your position. There are plenty of sites where your ideas are accepted, I concur--few, really nobody, will call them authentically American conservative--it doesn't appear you can even call an empire an empire, which suggests changing meanings of words is ethically sound with you.
If John agrees with you, just out with it from him.
Truth to Power| 3.20.11 @ 8:53PM
You really don't know what it means to be conservative. You just offer something equally radical to the leftist, ideas that have never been tried and don't add up with respect to human nature. At least their position isn't based on the hatred of Jews. I kind of like your position that the guy that wrote the document didn't know what he meant but that you are here to clear it up. A liberal couldn't do it any better. What a moron.
Jonah| 3.21.11 @ 6:49PM
Bowen's an ass, a crank.
baskets shox | 3.21.11 @ 7:39AM
you are right
Glein| 3.19.11 @ 6:50PM
When Bush I fought Hussein in Iraq over the invasion of Kuwait Bush I allowed Hussein to remain in power only so we went to war again almost ten years later. If this is a half-hearted attempt that does not remove Gadaffi from power it will only be a matter of time when he is able to massacre his opposition. After Bush I decided not to remove Hussein, Hussein proceeded, without America lifting a finger to help his opposition, to swiftly massacre the Kurds, Shia's and other groups. I have no confidence in this president. I do have all the confidence in the world in the capabilities of our military so long as they are not held back by squishsy political logic that will land us back in Libya another ten years from now.
Dixie Pixie| 3.19.11 @ 7:18PM
Now that Obama is back on vacation after a few strenuous weeks of avoiding Presidential duties, foreign policy has fallen on the broad hips and pillar-like legs of the Sec-State Hillary.
The "Most Intelligent Sec-State Ever" has taken an idea from Nancy Pelosi in that we will have to put the Rebel Government in power to find out what type it is.
Yes, total cluelessness of the Obama Administration is not a barrier to governmental action.
With the French in the lead the USA will back a Rebel faction of which we know nothing.
Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 3.19.11 @ 8:39PM
Dixie, did you just describe our Secretary of State, as having Pillar-like legs? Ouch, I like that!! She is a tough lady though, and I say lady with a grin on my face, some lady, huh? You're right, we'll have to start this War, to find out why we're fighting this War. And knowing our French allies like we well know them, when the going gets tough in Tripoli, they're going to pull stakes in a heartbeat, and we'll have stick around to clean up the cheese. Now where do I remember that happening before? So if the Golfer In Chief thinks that this is going to get him some extra votes come 2012, umm, I've got bad news for him then, his base hates going to War, they absolutely hate it. So the only additional supporters he's going to get on this move is from the Right, and we're not going to support him on anything, even if we do secretly like the fact that he's trying to kill the guy who brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie. I'll never admit that in public, never!! Seriously, what could go wrong with this plan, it's so well thought out? Oh yeah, now on to an entirely different subject here, today is the eighth anniversary of the beginning of the War in Iraq. I'm just sayin'!!
Dixie Pixie| 3.20.11 @ 12:31AM
Greetings Lullabys
Personally I am disgusted with Obama's handling of the entire Middle East situation.
If he had announced two weeks ago he was sending a Task Force to "stabilize the situation", Daffy Gaddafi would taken off like a shot to become a Las Vegas haberdasher.
The Striker Brigades were designed just for a military situation like the Libyan situation.
A small fast moving light force applied at the right time combined with a national uprising would have toppled the Gaddafi government with a minimal wastage of life.
Instead, Obama screwed around until the moment was lost and then buggered out to Rio leaving SecState Hillary to act as an US President.
Now it will take a massive force on the divisional level to reverse the course of the Libyan Civil War.
And we still do not know who we are fighting for!!!!
The Us has never seen such a level of Presidential incompetence ever!!!!
We will be lucky if Obama does not burn down everything he touches.
Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 3.20.11 @ 8:30AM
Dixie: Incompetence you say? Well, I don't know about that, incompetence is such a strong word to use on him. As an example, two weeks ago, when this Libyan situation broke out the President was out playing Golf just as he got to the Par-5, 5th hole. His first shot sliced off the fairway-over the road, landing out of bounds on an empty lot. Disregarding the fact that it was out of bounds, he decided to play it from there anyway. So he hit it back to the fairway, but caught a low hanging branch, which knocked it back down on the road, stopping in the middle of the northbound lane. Not wanting to take a penalty stroke here either, he played it right off the pavement, making a decent shot back out to the middle of the fairway. He was still well over 200 yards out, so he took a long iron and gave it a hard swing. Unfortunately, he landed in the sand-trap just short of the green, ending up against the bank. His next shot hit the bank and rolled back into the center of the sand-trap, but it was sitting up on a nice piece of sand this time. His next shot, lands on the green, leaving him a 25 foot putt, which he just misread, missing the hole by only 3" or so. His next putt went in from four feet out, for a well earned, hard fought 8. And you say incompetence? I don't, I call that sticktoitiveness, because he could've gotten a 9 there instead. But I get your point, if he was going to try to topple Gaddafi, he should've done this (or at least threatened to do this) two weeks ago, when he was on the verge of falling, if we just gave him a little nudge. Now my own personal reasons for not wanting us to get involved in Libya are, I've been to Iraq 3 times in the last 8 years already, and I really don't want to go to Libya 3 times in the next 8 years. Plus, it's way too hot over there in August, way too hot!! And I hear the Golf Courses suck too!! Too many sand-traps!!
Jonah| 3.20.11 @ 6:13PM
I've always favored "Queen Kankles" myself.
Dixie Pixie| 3.19.11 @ 7:20PM
Obama has waited until the Rebels were nearly defeated to come to their aid.
Giving them a minimum of military help when they were on the edge of victory would have required some degree of leadership skills from Obama.
Now that the Rebels are on the edge of defeat the best the USA can hope for is a stalemate thus insuring the Libyan Civil War will go on for months and years.
A quick clean win was to much for Obama to bare so he waited until the suffering of the Libyan people could be maximized.
JmsA| 3.21.11 @ 12:21PM
"Obama has waited until the Rebels were nearly defeated to come to their aid."
This administration's foreign policy should be called Fait Acccompli. For doing other than as the partial quote above indicates, would have meant he, the much exulted One, would have entailed much too much risk to his political fortunes. Instead, he waits until the situation or crisis becomes a fait accompli, to take much less risky action, farm it out, or just plain pass the buck. That said, the silence by the hypocritical left is simply deafening.
Dixie Pixie| 3.19.11 @ 7:41PM
The outlines of the foreign policy segment of Obama reelection strategy is now clear.
When a hard decision must be made, Obama goes on vacation.
Obama can now deny he ever made a foreign policy mistake.
Obama can claim he was a "Innocence Bystander" in his own administration!!!!
If the Republican Presidential candidate loses to Obama with all his flaws, then it will be because the Republicans gave the election to the Democrats.
Floyd Looney| 3.19.11 @ 8:44PM
This will not turn out well. Does Obama or this writer think we are stupid? Do they think we do not know that the USS Kearsarge and another amphibious warfare ship are on station and prepared to send hundreds possibly a thousand Marines into Libya?
We have no business conducting war on Libya and that is what we are doing. We have more reason to invade North Korea but the powers-that-be don't have the balls to do that.
This is about oil again isn't it? Or helping create the new Muslim Caliphate?
Because it definitely has nothing to do with American interests. It definitely has nothing to do with freedom or democracy.
Who Knows?| 3.19.11 @ 11:21PM
What IS Libya, anyway?
Like most of the “countries” in that benighted continent of Africa, those official boundaries on maps resemble “stinking badges”---who needs them?
The WSJ had a great quote from long ago equating dictators to thieves. Yes---Khadafi is merely the top Mafioso “don” atop the hapless humans who reside in “his” territory.
I well remember when Bush finally okayed the coalition’s action to snatch Kuwait from Saddam. Lot’s of people I worked with were unsure about what would happen, but it seemed to me that a poor second-rate army like Iraq had would be easily wasted.
Well, so it went, except for a lack of insight about finishing off Saddam.
I just wonder if maybe much the same deal is true wrt Libya.
That is, who thinks even a week of “shock and awe” by French jets and American firepower won’t so degrade their military hardware that they’d be back on the same level, at least, with the rebels?
When I try to imagine Obama bugging out before ousting Khadafi, it just does NOT compute.
He HAS TO lead the civilized world to victory, or else. In his own mind---that is, I believe, his realization, NOW!
Maybe Hillary took him to the woodshed, and spanked some sense into him!
Yes, my bet is that the African revolution is still going on, and Libya is next.
Dee See| 3.20.11 @ 1:03AM
---SURELY even now those injection ops
with tainted, mind destroying, sterilizing
and carcinogenic serums are on call and
----READY to GO!
"The conquering of the mind is the
final frontier--"
-ALAN WATT
(quoting Kissinger online)
MEANWHILE no forces available to pose
any front at all as Napolitano quietly signs
80 MILLION Mexicans into 'Trusted Traveller'
status (i.e. Green Card) secretly down in Mexico
last November 30th.
AS yuppies giggle you too ARE being destroyed folks.
REALLY
TRULY
UNDENIABLY
ABSOLUTELY
------------HUAC meets NUREMBERG ----now!
Kingofthenet| 3.20.11 @ 1:07AM
Change it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fall that's all
But the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war
Meet the NEW boss, same as the old boss...
Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 3.20.11 @ 8:38AM
I've got my clipboard, text books
Lead me to the station
Yeah, I'm off to the civil war
I've got my kit bag, my heavy boots
I'm runnin' in the rain
Gonna run till my feet are raw
Slip kid, slip kid, second generation
And I'm a soldier at thirteen
Slip kid, slip kid, realization
There's no easy way to be free
No easy way to be free
It's a hard, hard world
Jonah| 3.20.11 @ 6:14PM
God bless you,LLL--stay safe.
Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 3.20.11 @ 9:41PM
I'll do my best, thanks!!
martin j smith| 3.20.11 @ 7:49AM
Obama has been given"cover" by the British and French and now is all Commander in Chef. This is purely for Obama for political doistraction from our economic woes and from his overall performance wich stinks and then he goes to Rio which I hear has not gone so swell for him either. Then I ask--our THREE MOUSEKATEER SO CALLED ALLIES: WHAT ABOUT IRAN ?
martin j smith| 3.20.11 @ 7:52AM
Alan brooks most of those who post here are much smarter then you are . As I said above Obama is an opportunist and he will do ANYTHING FOR ONE CAUSE; HIMSELF AND THAT IS IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dale Cord| 3.20.11 @ 10:43AM
Be prepared for a nuclear attack on our country.We are fighting on to many fronts, and Obama and his secret entourage is conveniently out of the country on vacation. Get the picture?
Jonah| 3.20.11 @ 6:15PM
Wow, that's creepy as hell. Thanks for the nice thoughts, Dale.
martin j smith| 3.20.11 @ 11:12AM
DALE CORD: IF YOU ARE RIGHT THEN LET OBAMA STAY IN RIO PERMANENTLY.
I do not think that this"war" will last long. It will be a brief interlude. Besides it is "Kosher for Passover"--meaning to say that our so called Allies and supposed Arab neighbors approve. When I see protests that show the "Arab Street" disapprove of the intervention I wonder how long Obama and the other Mosuketeers will continue. I see this as pure political theater and no more. Except that one can have unintended consequences. I do not know if Obama has any once of courage to see this mission thru--and by the way--what is the mission?
Oldefarte| 3.20.11 @ 11:27AM
Yes John, he has also apparently ruled out the use of ground forces in not only Libya but Iran and Pakistan as well. No doubt ground forces could be possibly used in Egypt or Israel if needed though. Wonder why? As an undisclosed CIA operative stated, this whole mess in Libya beyond stupid, since we have no national interests whatsoever in that country [or others as well]. With the poll numbers indicating that Americans are getting sick and tired of our military involvement anywhere in the middle east, the intelligent course would be for us to get the hades out of there ASAP. This PICKING WINNERS & LOSERS FOREIGN POLICY is beyond imbicilic, but what do you expect from a Harvard lawyer/Chicago community organizer turned PRESIDENT????????