After much dithering, President Obama has finally spoken out on Libya. He has condemned the violence; he has quoted a Libyan protestor in saying that the “most basic aspiration” of people is “to be able to live like human beings”. His press secretary has stated that Qaddafi’s " clear violations of human rights are totally unacceptable."
How many of our great Presidents would resort to meaningless clichés? Would Truman, or Kennedy, or Reagan have uttered such an insipid statement?
And Obama has acted. He has sent Hillary Clinton to meet with the Human Rights Council at the United Nations. This is the same Hillary Clinton who said a few days ago that the United Nations Security Council was where action on Libya should be decided; does this woman have the gravitas to be President some day?. And this is the same Human Rights Council that welcomed Libya as a member.
Obama has also sent Undersecretary of State William Burns to “several stops in Europe” He has instructed his people to “look at all options”. He has promised to “monitor”, “coordinate”, “consult.” And to speak with one voice. He has warned the killers in Libya that that “the entire world is watching”. (I suspect Qaddafi knows this, and doesn’t care. Why would he care, given America’s minimal response? When tyrants abuse their own people, they are usually aware that there is likely an audience; they then do it anyway) .
He has warned the Libyan government that it will be held accountable for its failure to meet its responsibilities, and that it will face the cost of continued violations of human rights. Abrams points out that he never said what those costs might be.. And he warned of other actions, “I’ve also asked my administration to prepare the full range of options that we have to respond to this crisis. This includes those actions we may take and those we will coordinate with our allies and partners, or those that we’ll carry out through multilateral institutions.” Yes, he will prepare, And yes, we will rely largely on the UN, a toothless and useless organization very much controlled by those who defend Islamic jihad.
Two years ago, our administration was silent as brave Iranians challenged their leaders on the streets of Tehran. We were non-committal a few weeks ago on Egypt. And now Libya. Does this President stand for anything? Is there any cause he considers worth fighting for?
Pundits, bloggers, and politicians have generally been critical of Obama’s role in all this, including John Podhoretz , Elliott Abrams, Sarah Palin, William Kristol. and others
In short, he has uttered platitudes, and has acted to ensure that our government will play no role in the outcome. And all the while Col. Qaddafi continues to slaughter his countrymen. John Podhoretz has pointed out that it would have been better if Obama has said nothing.
Meanwhile thousands of Libyans are being killed. Mercenaries recruited by Qaddafi are pouring into the country, eager to slaughter the anti-Qaddafi protestors. It is reminiscent of the foot dragging of our government in stopping the genocide that occurred during the early 1940s in Europe. There is absolutely no sense of urgency, even while every hour brings a higher death toll.
As William Kristol says, “So Qaddafi flies in mercenaries to kill people. And Obama flies diplomats around to consult with other diplomats about whether at some point we might possibly stop Qaddafi from flying in mercenaries to kill people”.
We are stuck for at least two more years with a President whose leftist world view has no room for a superpower, especially if it is the United States . And so, Obama will consult with allies, and will go to the United Nations, where a refusal to act against an Arab leader is a given.
What could we do? Plenty. We could Immediately enforce a no-fly zone in Libya, we could initiate an air attack on Qaddafi’s forces (Remember Reagan bombing Qaddafi’s palace after the Berlin discotheque bombing? ) A sense of urgency is critical for one reason; matters are urgent. People are getting killed every moment; delay should not be an option. .
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