The Success in Libya

I find it interesting that as President Obama today announced the killing of Gaddafi the President said that it was accomplished "without putting U. S. service members on the ground...." As I suggested some time ago, it seems to me that the statement does not preclude the probability that the CIA's "silent boots" had been a part of the successful effort. Well done.

By the way, I think it is disgraceful the way elected Republican leaders still denigrate the President for his strategic handling of what is a successful revolution in Libya. The President either did too little or too much, acted too late or acted too indirectly or too directly. In the midst of his criticism of the President and while emphatically congratulating England and France, Senator McCain emphasized in an afterthought how "grateful Libyans are" now toward the United States and how we should leverage that fact. Now, just why would they be so grateful to the U.S. if the strategy was wrong.

I suggest to the Republicans that, putting political posturing aside, and standing openly with the President to accept the Libyan appreciation jointly with NATO would be a bold statement to the world and would kick start the leveraging in Libya and greater Africa. After all, it was Congressional funding and Presidential direction that brought this about.

Foreign affairs are not going to be a major aspect of the 2012 election. It will of course be the economy. Accordingly, the denigration of the President now is only harmful to the future prospects of our country overseas and baseless in the internal political struggle. Putting Party loyalty and objectives aside and standing as Americans is probably too much to ask of those within the conservative juggernaut.