Because nothing says “superpower” like telling the NYT you’re an empty threat.
“Qaddafi has lost the legitimacy to govern, and it is time for him to go without further violence or delay,” Mrs. Clinton told reporters after a special meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council. “No option is off the table,” she said, adding “that of course includes a no-fly zone.”
But officials in Washington and elsewhere said that direct military action remained unlikely, and that the moves were designed as much as anything as a warning to Colonel Qaddafi and a show of support to the protesters seeking to overthrow his government.
Link goes to ‘Eric Holder’s people’, or ‘people the Democratic party consider their pets’, something like that…
…it was less embarrassing for the US when the administration spent a week not telling the world that they’re a bunch of pussies.
Philanthropist: scroll down the page at the link.
officials in Washington and elsewhere said that direct military action remained unlikely
Thank goodness. There is no good reason for America or any other western power to get involved in this, certainly not yet.
Soft Power = Pushover.
Paul Martin taught us this the hard way.
The Americans could probably take over Lybia with Forces afloat in the Med. One Aircraft carrier and a Marine amphibious task group could do it. Then what? If the Americans helped with a transition to democracy, if they could even make it happen then would end up helping to install a government of the Muslem Brotherhood. Getting involved would not be popular domestically either. Its unfortunate but the west is better off not getting involved.
POTUS . . . Pussy of the United States
And despite all their efforts to neuter the United States, ignorant Third World countries will continue to hate them.
Where does Obama and Hillary get the notion that Kadaffi ever had legitimacy to govern…..how stupid….he never had it…he took over by a coup. I hope these people don’t get involved with the US Military to help remove Kadaffi….what for …to replace him with another bonehead…there is no such thing as democracy in Muslim land…don’t we get it…..
Why the overwhelming concern for the overthrow of ANY dictator in the Middle East? Are their abuses of human rights especially atrocious now but not then?
Obama dragged his feet and will continue doing so. No surprise there. The likelihood of a sane replacement for these madmen is not on.
I would like this all to end well but I am not certain.
To bad Gaddafi didn’t get his when Regan bombed Libya.
I still hold that the best solution is to let Eygpt interveen. Eygpt could use the oil revenue and has a massive military right on the frontier.
And we could claim plausable deniability.
It worked to end the killing fields of Cambodia…….
It requires extreme circumstances to nudge me out of a Fortress USA position (with a quiet but assuredly big stick response).
I do not mind saying there is an issue with that position, and it is very practical and down-to-earth. Have you ever traveled extensively?
In South America, the Iron Curtain, Asia, even in Europe to some extent and certainly the Middle East and Africa, nation economies are pretty much corrupt. As a Russian friend of mine likes to say, “How can a country get any work done to get rich when they always have one hand out?”
For a lot of these people, the USA is the shining beacon on the Hill. They hope like hell the USA will invade and finally end the scum than runs their country. It is why they want to immigrate here; you can live your life here without paying off some sad, violent mafia prick for everything worth having.
America’s message is far too nuanced. That’s what bureaucrats get you. It should be very clear. NO more military subsidies. And no more jacking around. If you harm your people, we’ll bomb ya. End of story.
Lost the legitimacy to govern?
Did he have any legitimacy in the first place?