Incoherence on Our Libya Role
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One thing that’s been funny in the past couple of weeks is watching the Republicans twist themselves in knots over our latest war in Libya.
On the one hand, they don’t have any use for Moammar Gadhafi, and they sure do love it when bombs are falling on Muslims. On the other hand, the commander-in-chief is a man they loathe so much they can barely stand to acknowledge he’s even an American citizen. So they’re acting a mite confused and more incoherent than usual.
Take, for example, right-wing blogger and anti-Muslim fanatic Pamela Geller. On Feb. 20, Geller wrote that Libya was “slaughtering innocent civilians,” bitterly complained that she “fear[ed] Obama would do nothing,” and urged her readers, “Stand up for innocent victims: Urge the U.S., the European Union, and the U.N. not to turn a blind eye to this bloodbath.”
When Barack Obama ordered missile and air strikes on Libya, however, Geller screeched a much different tune. She asserted that “our boys” are now “fighting alongside al-Qaida jihadists and Libyan rebels.” She went on to say, “It should have been Iran. Period. Libya … makes no sense. Recipe: disaster.”
No, really, she writes like that.
The most prominent flip-flopper on this topic is GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich. On March 7, Gingrich said he would “exercise a no-fly zone this evening” and that “we don’t need anyone’s permission.” On March 23, with American forces committed, Gingrich told “The Today Show,” “I would not have intervened. … There were a lot of other ways to affect Gadhafi.”
Meanwhile, the wingnuts continue to rail against the imaginary left for its perceived “hypocrisy” in not opposing this intervention. I say “imaginary left” because the group these people are so eternally heated up about bears little or no relationship to the left that exists here in America.
“The left has been quiet,” wrote John R. Guardiano in the American Spectator, “even as allied military operations against Libya commence. Why?”
Michael Filozof, of the ironically named blog “The American Thinker,” was even more indignant: “Where are the protesters? Where are the accusations that Obama is a liar and a Nazi? … Where are the cries for Obama's impeachment?”
Well, Mike, for accusations that Obama’s a liar and a Nazi, you’ll have to go to Glenn Beck or your friends in the tea party. But for protests and calls for Obama’s impeachment, you have to go no further than the group of nine Democratic lawmakers, including former presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, who loudly decried the unconstitutionality of the attacks in the Democratic Caucus conference call on March 19.
Kucinich himself demanded to know why this wasn’t “an impeachable offense.” (Kucinich later walked it back and said he had no intention of trying to bring articles of impeachment, most likely because he realized they had about as much chance of succeeding as the last time he tried it against Bush and Cheney.)
As for protests, the anti-war group Code Pink (which talk-show host Joe Scarborough falsely claimed has “done nothing”) held a rally and press conference on March 23 at the White House, complete with “signs in the shape of planes saying ‘Don’t Bomb Libya’ and other creative visuals,” according to its website.
To be sure, there are some liberals supporting this intervention. There is, to put it mildly, a quite lively debate going on in the progressive blogosphere over the subject. As I mentioned last week, I’m one of the ones who think this was the wrong thing to do, and it may come back to bite us on the behind in ways we can’t see and apparently haven’t thought too much about.
But if any of the people complaining about the left’s “silence” bothered to actually read what’s going on, rather than yelling about the “leftists” that exist only in their heads, they’d see that the actual left is anything but “silent” on this subject. Then again, reality never has been kind to them, so I guess they have no use for it.
Some would accuse them of inconsistency as well, but I’d disagree. They’re completely consistent on one principle, and one only: Everything Barack Obama does is wrong. If he’s not intervening, he’s wrong. If he does intervene, he’s wrong.
It’s the worst kind of cynical, destructive partisanship, and it’s based on the assumption that we’re all rubes who are too stupid to notice they can’t keep their stories straight from one week to the next, but it’s consistent.
Dusty Rhoades lives, writes and practices law in Carthage. Contact him at dustyr@nc.rr.com.
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Comments
dustyrhoades 2 years, 1 month ago
Blah blah blah name calling blah blah blah why are you always picking on Republicans blah blah blah juvenile blah blah blah sophomoric blah blah why don't you write something about Obama or Shirley Jackson Lee blah blah liberals liberals liberals blah blah Saul Alinsky.
There. I've just taken care of 90% of the usual wingnut responses to any column, so I've saved you all some time. You're welcome..
MikeNC 2 years, 1 month ago
Dusty, to write that Republicans WANT to see bombs fall on Muslims, truly should of been edited from your letter. It is as disgraceful as if I were to of written a letter during the early days of Viet Nam and indicated, that Kennedy and Demcrats wanted to see bombs fall on Vietnamese, or that Truman wanted to see what a Nuke would do to the Japanese people. That remark was over the top and disgusting. Diane
dustyrhoades 2 years, 1 month ago
Thanks for reading every week, Diane. I know I can always count on you to concede the main point by whining about the language in which it's made.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 1 month ago
Oh, and Diane?
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/38334_Right_Wing_Commenters-_The_Muslim_Rats_Need_to_Be_Exterminated#rss
mcg2010 2 years, 1 month ago
If I remember correctly not many republicans seemed to have any issue dropping bombs on Iraq.But then again, it was a republican that made that decision.
OldPilot 2 years, 1 month ago
Dusty is correct, his point well taken. "Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of the small mind". Ralph Waldo Emerson It's worse when the obstinate consistency is wild inconsistency.
None 2 years, 1 month ago
"Gingrich said he would “exercise a no-fly zone this evening” and that “we don’t need anyone’s permission.” On March 23, with American forces committed, Gingrich told “The Today Show,” “I would not have intervened. … There were a lot of other ways to affect Gadhafi.”
Sounds like a quote from my no spin in-your-face political commentary by Jon Stewart on Comedy Centrals' Daily Show. Writers have a grasp on political double speak by republican indecisiveness. Sadly, there are no good contenders for POTUS'O's executive seat. Newt, like so many other talking heads are suffering from “I can't recall syndrome” - from one day to the next. What will they come up with to circumvent TEA Party Activists whining about starving the poor and unemployed? You go DR Jr. I cannot bring myself to disagree with you on this one....
None 2 years, 1 month ago
Thanks, Toda, and OP. And thanks to the rest of you for failing to address (and thus conceding) the point of the column.
None 2 years, 1 month ago
DR Jr. I have just had one of those fall-out of my chair moments while listening to CBS News and hearing Lindsey Graham (R) SC state publicly that HE is in favor of arming the resistance in Libya with TOW missiles and other missile technology to suppress heavy motorized vehicles and tanks! AND ~ I know you won't believe this...but he wants to resume American Air Strikes!!! What now are your wing-nutters going to say about Lindsey advocating escalation of the conflict in Libya?
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7361556n&tag=contentMain;contentBody
None 2 years, 1 month ago
Don't worry, if the US actually does that, Graham will be against it. Or say it wasn't done quickly enough. Just so long as he's saying Obama's screwed it up, the rubes will be all for it.
BTW since some of the posters here apparently suffer from some sort of brain injury that leaves you unable to remember things from one week to the next, I still oppose this war.
marathonman 2 years, 1 month ago
There is no point to your article. You are a 'locknut'; incapable of understanding but nevertheless writing to assail those who you know will disagree. When there is criticism of any of your points, you immediate criticize the writer for failing to fully understand how truly smart you are and how really dumb they are.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 1 month ago
Haven't seen criticism of any of the points you claim I didn't make. Hint: read the headline.
dustyrhoades 2 years, 1 month ago
*I guess that will keep fish in DR's barrel! *
An apt metaphor in an otherwise nearly incoherent post. Maybe you could go on the BBC and correct me...oh, sorry, they don't put people on there who are too cowardly to throw stones using their real names.
None 2 years, 1 month ago
James ~ it's hard to say who is incoherent. After seeing and listening to Lindsey Graham (R) South Carolina, this morning, I'm beginning to believe all of Washington is drinking cool aid from the same mason jar. BTW: are American war planes still flying over Libya? You might want to consider watching CNN as opposed to Fox News. Roger Ells' is on a mindless mission to corrupt the airways with mistruths and out right lies. Glenn Beck is a primary example....
None 2 years, 1 month ago
Toda-- It's Roger Ailes. And I'd rather chew tinfoil than watch CNN. FOX doubles the viewership of other cable networks for a reason. They are better, with little liberal fluff. Keep watching CNN...you never know: you could be their last viewer and win a cruise!
None 2 years, 1 month ago
And you are correct...I posted this YouTube video once before....;-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooPOml...
dustyrhoades 2 years, 1 month ago
I already did your post for you this morning, James.
None 2 years, 1 month ago
Roger Ailes and his mindless employee Glenn Beck. Ailes caught in more lies....Fox News is a farce.
Fox News President Roger Ailes Caught Lying: Defends Glenn Beck's Smears by bravenewfilms
MikeNC 2 years, 1 month ago
Good point, James.
@ DR, I can always count on you to twist it until it fits. Diane
bigD 2 years, 1 month ago
"Incoherence on Our Libya Role" Lead, follow or get out of the way. Obama did all three! What a great display of leadership skills...
moonchild7 2 years, 1 month ago
The so-called INCOHERENCE comes more from France's Sarkozy than from President Obama because France is the real "LEADER" in this war. Obama, Sarkozy, and the intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy used some heavy thoughtful "problem-solving techniques", these past few weeks to try to figure out what to do. Henri-Levi went to Benghazi to speak with the rebels and he returned to Paris to tell Sarkozy what he thought. The fact that in the past so many people in Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, and Sudan have lost their lives because of no one coming to help them apparently weighed heavy on their minds; but especially Sarkozy. The French are now "LEADING" the operations in Libya which include air strikes and covert operations. Even the Socialists in France support their involvement. I am not really sure of what to think or believe at this point in time. As a former Social Worker seeing those people in Libya beg for our help makes it somewhat more "TOLERABLE" that we went to help them, it's just that we have a bad record on the AFTERMATH of these WAR'S.
moonchild7 2 years, 1 month ago
Not at all mauiman. President Obama will serve a second term. "The Republicants" are a motley crew of nincompoops. Have you listened to or watched any of those nuts? Not an intelligent one amongst the bunch. The last "Declared War' was WWII, Harry Truman sent us to war in Korea and didn't consult with Congress. President Obama sent a letter to congress 48 hrs after he commited troops to Libya, just what he was required to do. Congress will have to be consulted with if our troops will be there more than 60 days. We seem to have "CONTRACTED" out quite a bit of our wartime endevours thanks to G. Bush...those Private Enterprise Righties should be as HAPPY as APPLE PIE.
moonchild7 2 years, 1 month ago
Ronald Reagan bombed Libya on April 14, 1986. What was that about mauiman? Ghadaffi has been on our radar since, because at the time he wanted Reagan assasinated. Just like Bill Clinton was handed the Iraq and Somalia mess from Daddy Bush, President Obama has perhaps been handed the worst state of affairs for our country since the great Depression and WWII, from SON of the BUSH! You guys need to stop drinking the ensure and try some high octane RED GINSENG TEA. You'll feel better.
Satch2929 2 years, 1 month ago
Obama and the left- War hawks! It is hard to comprehend!
moonchild7 2 years, 1 month ago
No Left-Wing War hawk here but I come from a family who spilled a LOT of BLOOD in wars for this country and I only speak from the aspect of looking at the entire situation. The only "WAR" we should have gone into since WWII has been the one in Afghanistan, and when G. Bush tore his "DEAD or ALIVE" Wanted Poster for Osama Bin Laden down he should have taken all of our troops out of there. I was a real PEACENIK most of my life until I found out that the "OPINIONS" that I had made some people so mad that they threatened my life. I had to do something I never thought I'd do. I bought a gun.