More than 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles struck over 20 targets inside Libya today in the opening phase of an international military operation the Pentagon said was aimed at stopping attacks led by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and enforcing a U.N.-backed no-fly zone. President Obama, speaking from Brazil shortly after he authorized the missile attacks, said they were part of a “limited military action” to protect the Libyan people.
“I want the American people to know that the use of force is not our first choice and it’s not a choice I make lightly,” Obama said. “But we cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people that there will be no mercy.”
The first air strikes, in what is being called Operation Odyssey Dawn, were launched from a mix of U.S. surface ships and one British submarine in the Mediterranean Sea at 2 p.m. ET, Vice Adm. William E. Gortney told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.
They targeted Libyan air defense missile sites, early warning radar and key communications facilities around Tripoli, Misratah, and Surt, but no areas east of that or near Benghazi. Because of darkness over Libya, Gortney said it was too early to determine the strikes’ effectiveness.
The paragraphs from the Constitutional Law professor are statements by Barack Obama. Get it, Obama was a : UChicago, whatever the term is for lowest level professor, who teaugh classes on the Constituion.
Walter Dellinger is a former executive branch official, I think Office of Legal Counsel, who wrote an article defending the Libya action.
190, Bobbo,
Showing the President playing with kids isn’t normally a big deal… doing it when he’s launched a military campaign against a country in the middle of a civil war at the request of the U.N. is bothersome.
It simply doesn’t look good to the military troops taking his orders, to the American public, and to the International public. It’s a “Hey look at me! I have time to play soccer with kids while I’m dropping bombs over in Libya”.
Rather than doing dereliction of duty, he should be doing less photo ops and more of what people expect of him at times like this.
Hey we could talk about your apparent accidental gayness whereby you ask me what you should do to stop coming across as being gay.
I would say for you to STOP holding hands, STOP pulling puds, STOP playing the skin flute, STOP exploring the orifices of the same gender, or to STOP having the same gender explore your orifices… IF you don’t want to come across as being gay (regardless if you think about being gay 24/7)
But you would shout out loud that what I just stated did not address your concern of doing something about it. So what you’re looking for is a skin patch or an app (because that would be proactive). Even if you choose to remain gay because that’s all you can think about, you can at least conduct yourself in such a way that’s in “good taste”.
But sure, you can flaunt your gayness and exclaim that unless I can tell you to do something proactive about it, that you’re just as good attending a gay pride parade.
At the end of the day, I don’t care what Obama really thinks about the war. But if he wants the respect of those in the military who serve under him, then he should take his job more seriously. The military serves one purpose; to kill and to destroy. Playing soccer with kiddies for a photo op is really unbecoming of the position of commander-in-chief. I can think of a number of people who would conduct themselves in this manner, but none of them are historically good guys.
Do his job and don’t look like someone who looks like they take military action lightly by having a good time elsewhere. He should be at the office instead of looking for photo ops. If he wants to play on his game console at the office, then fine… but don’t do it in public.
And why does bettering our relationship with Brazil take precedence over doing a military campaign in Libya, a dismal economy, high unemployment, etc?
There’s a time and place for bettering our relationships with relatively insignificant countries. Yes, Brazil isn’t too terribly important right now. The man’s priorities are out of whack given our current state of affairs. He’s setting himself up as the guy who likes to have a good time when the country needs someone who takes things seriously.
And in 2012 his adversaries will ask the American people are you better off today than you were four years ago? Sounds like a Carter moment.
He can do whatever he wants that is unbecoming of a commander-in-chief in the privacy of his home / office. I don’t care. Military troops have a knack for not respecting their leaders who goof off in the middle of military campaigns. He should at least make himself look engaged.
Hasty conclusion. You’re just being politically dogmatic and demonstrating your knee jerk reaction.
Or not be in the presence of the press at all if he wants to have fun while he’s ordering military action. I really don’t care what he’s predisposed to do, but if it’s in bad taste he should have the common courtesy of doing it in the privacy of his home / office.
What a dope. You think the Generals have all the answers too? They have their advisers as well. They choose what to filter up and the decision comes down on what to do based on what is filtered up.
You’re just demonstrating how emotionally invested and compromised you are when someone calls a spade a spade.
184, Pedro,
He has a knack for tunnel vision.
Putting the “T” back in freedom…”T,” as in TYRANNY. Or maybe “S,” as in “SHUT UP SLAVE!!”
After World War II, King Idris was installed as a compliant regent with a demonstrated propensity to take orders from the U.S. and Britain.
When oil was discovered, the Western oil companies moved in to drive a hard bargain with the monarch while the Libyan people continued to live in makeshift shacks and lean-tos.
Muammar Qadhafi brought a number of notions with him which were unacceptable to “American interests.” He propagated the idea that all people have a right to self-determination, and should be supported in their quest to realize sovereignty over themselves and their lands. Oil wealth was not to be given – away-to-multinational corporations abroad, but used to improve the living standard of the nation’s own people.
Now Mossad and CIA agents are trying to overthrow the Libyan government by creating chaos and using Zionist-US terrorists and Libyan traitors to terrorize innocent and defenseless Libyan people and using the Zionist media to slander, demonize and frame the Libyan government.
Great Britain funded an Al Qaeda cell in Libya, in an attempt to assassinate Gadaffi. The main opposition group in Libya now is the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. This opposition group is being funded by Saudi Arabia, the CIA, and French Intelligence. This group unified itself with other opposition groups, to become the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition.
The Libyan government is not battling unarmed civilians, but heavily armed, USA equipped militants and the ruthless American, French and British terrorists!
Guyver: we disagree completely. Now the only trick is to wait 2 or 6 years and see what you do to another Pres in the same situation. I guess going back in time showing Presidents doing all sorts or things in all sorts of situations proving the point that they are all the same because they are only human AND that your desired automaton behavior is totally unrealistic is not relevant?
You don understand while the military is involved in a very simple, low level activity the President of the USA is still POTUS for all his other activities?
Your “view” if honest, is entirely one dimensional in a multidimensional world.
Abdul–sorry I missed your rant earlier, too focused on McGuyver. Abdul–please meet McGuyver, and McGuyver=Abdul. You two shills have much in common.
Have fun with your party based political grandstanding.
thanks Amerika for saving libiya people what about Palistine people that slaughter by zionis why they don’t attack Israel what are the F***. loong live OBAMA love U