President Obama kept his integrity

[Distant Observer]

It is not absolutely clear whether Obama’s action in Libya was right or wrong launching the “action” in Libya. What is clear is that much of the Western pretexts , justification and propaganda that accompanied the action has been false.

Obama kept his integrity by refusing to double-down on the biggest falsehoods and that must be appreciated.

He stated his rejection of Gaddafi WITHOUT engaging in the typical demonization’s of leader and his regime. Like our military and intelligence establishment, he let himself be constrained by the lack of independent evidence and refrained from talk about “black” mercenaries on the streets, “killing his own people,” massacres etc.

He acknowledged that this is a “preventive war.” The motive is to prevent an impending humanitarian catastrophe. His administration, or at least some in the administration, believed that Gaddafi’s threats and past history gave good reason to believe that the assault on Benghazi by pro-Gaddafi forces would have led to a massacre of civilians. That belief may be mistaken and based on cultural ignorance and bigotry, but it was not totally unreasonable.

So let us see what happens going forward.

Will the Western war planes continue to kill pro-Gaddafi people who are retreating from the advancing rebels or fighting in self-defense?

Will western observers begin to acknowledge what people already familiar with the Libyan social and political landscape already know:

that many people in Libya do support their Government (possibly the majority) and feel mortally threatened by the militant rebel movement from the East;

that in order to take power, the rebels and their allies will have to kill or violently oppress this part of the population;

that this conflict is not about a mad dictator killing unarmed civilians in the street, but a complex internal, factional conflict, a CIVIL WAR.

[cali]

1. I wish I could agree.

[nicotourist]

2. i highly doubt

I highly doubt he can keep it much more

[ixion]

3. heh... not so much

he lost that a long, long time ago.

[Distant Observer]

4. Obama's failures in many cases is not due to lack of integrity but the LIMITS OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER

[ixion]

5. I always find that excuse quite lacking...

because it's previous pResidents that have moved us into the position we are now, so saying that Obama is limited by this same power to move in a reverse direction simply makes no sense.

[Exilednight]

6. I fully agree with you. n/t

[CoffeeCat]

7. I agree with the previous poster....

...that Presidential power is limited. However, I do think that a truly great President
would put an end to this bullshit Fascism that has destroyed our democracy. Obviously,
Obama knows that we no longer have the luxury of a democracy.

He may not have the power or authority to do a damn thing. I believe they started this Lybian
thing, and that Obama is forced to provide the soundbytes and play along. I get it.

So, open your mouth Obama. Tell us the ugly truth.

To stand around, say nothing while playing some fake role--while sitting in the White House--the
same position that Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy held--is a disgrace.

Oh boo hoo--the big, bad Military Industrial Complex is powerful and the neocons are bullies. Yeah, they're
a pox on humanity.

So do something about it, Mr. President.

[Solomon]

9. You simply have no idea who and what is running the country.

Imagine giving your speech to Kennedy. "Oh boo hoo--the big bad Military Industrial Complex is powerful and the neocns are bullies. Yeah, they're a pox on humanity. So do something about it, Mr. President."

I guess Kennedy didn't live up to your "a truly great president would put an end to this bullshit Fascism."

People on this board must be very young.

[Ship of Fools]

17. My sentiments, exactly.

[CoffeeCat]

19. I'm just done with this...

I know this are bad people. We know that they're greedy, evil and sociopathic.

However, this is like an abuse dynamic. These people are a minority. They only have
power if they are allowed to operate in secret and in silence.

A lot of really bad, evil people do terrible things to people. However, these people
only get away with their crimes, if the victims are too scared to report the crimes
or try to get justice.

There are thousands of people in this country, who are well aware of what is happening.

They see the result. We no longer have a democracy. Our country is DYING!

So, I do have an idea of how awful and disgusting these people are.
I'm sure they're capable of anything! However, are we supposed to lose our entire
democracy because they're so big, bad and tough? Are hundreds of millions of US
citizens going to suffer and live in a country controlled by a minority of pathological
ingrates because of a group of criminally insane jerks?

I don't think Kennedy was a bad President. I don't think Obama is a bad person. But
for the love of Pete--it's time to do something. Are Obama and the rest of the in-the-know politicians willing to
be silent--and sacrifice our country, its history and millions of citizens for these
thugs?

Seriously? We're at the eleventh hour here. The time to do something is now.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ixion]

12. that is my point

it's NOT anymore limited than previous presidents, so the whole 'power limitations' argument doesn't really hold water.

[Distant Observer]

13. National Governance in the US is highly disfunctional when it comes to long-term policy

whether you are talking about economic, industrial or foreign policy. Since Carter, the US has struggled with
implementing either and energy policy or a balance of trade policy that would be in the long-term interest of the country. Foreign policy is no different with perverse push and pull that are not rooted in the fundamental interest of either the American people or peoples around the world.

I think the US is basically living on the laurels of post-WW II imperial dominance and the ability of its
corporations to extract wealth globally and to impose beneficial terms of trade.

For decades we are in an inexorable downward slide, only temporarily halted by the explosion of gains in capital accumulation and productivity from the internet revolution of the 1990's.

There was a glimmer of hope that Obama could turn the trend. But that glimmer is now gone.

[GeorgeGist]

8. Will Obama be more sucessful than Lincoln ,,,

in avoiding the humanitarian catastrophe of CIVIL WAR?

[Distant Observer]

10. Unfortunately, I don't think Obama is really running this. Its Hillary, and I think her team

is really wrapped up in the self-righteous urge of the Western powers to dominate and enforce their will
rather that try to understand what is really in the interest of Libya.

[karynnj]

14. Where are you from?

On this and other threads, it is easy to see (or maybe assume) that you have some personal experience with life in Libya. I know that a message board gives a person the ability to hide anything about themselves. However, it sometimes helps if a pearson defines himself/herself enough so that others can understand where they are coming from.

Here, if you are someone who is an Libyan or a Libyan ex-pat, saying so will not diminish, but would give some weight to things you say. I would imagine that it is difficult to assess the real popularity of a dictator in areas where he is strongly in control.

Somethings you are saying match what we can see in the media. It looks like the people in the town currently under seige by the rebels are pro Gaddafi. There is a question of what the coalition will do at this point - and Obama was clear that we will not help them attack civilians.

[Distant Observer]

15. Not sure it is proper to provide private info on public boards. I DO NOT WORK FOR ANY PARTY WITH

INTEREST IN THIS CONFLICT.

[karynnj]

16. Thanks - I wasn't asking for any private inforamtion

Nothing more than I provide in my name - that I live in NJ. I respect that you might not feel comfortable in doing so. Sorry if the question felt uncomfortable or inappropriate.

[Ship of Fools]

18. Not when the color of his very own skin is arguably the cause of it.

Think about it.

[Distant Observer]

20. Can't figure this one. Give clue please?

[opihimoimoi]

21. He was MANLY, DECISIVE, and CORRECT....thats his job...to LEAD

The Questioneers out there make me sick....nit nit nit pic pic pic...slanted questions on Locker Room Level ain't no way to do interviews...