Why was no one calling for the US to use our Security Council veto before the vote?

[TheKentuckian]

Hell, why will no one even address the issue in those terms subsequently.

To me that means we aren't even actually discussing this situation in and of it's self and are instead re-arguing Iraq and even Viet Nam.
I find this quite understandable but neither helpful to a debate nor particularly honest.

[joshcryer]

1. The vast majority of people were not even paying attention to Libya.

Most of the outrage happened several hours after the vote, not, incidentally, as the vote happened (there were a couple of posts but most were trying to figure out what it meant iirc). In fact there was a significant lull between the vote and the bombing, indicating to me in part the whole fucking outrage was driven by cable TV punditry. :puke:

[customerserviceguy]

8. Maybe Charlie Sheen will drop the crazy act now?

I'll bet Hillary had something on him!

[mmonk]

2. It would have been futile.

The decision for the US to engage in direct armed conflict is still supposed to rest with Congress.

[MineralMan]

3. I think most DUers were so focused on the Japanese disaster

that they weren't really paying attention to this UN SC vote. Now, they're paying attention. DU often seems to focus on a single thing, then suddenly switch to another without knowing that something was happening. It's an odd thing, but frequently seems to happen.

[DJ13]

4. The vote was a bait and switch

Most reports prior to the vote were that the UN was voting on imposing a no fly zone, but the actual vote was allowing a full military intervention.

[TheKentuckian]

5. Now, this is not my understanding and would greatly affect my thoughts.

I was under the impression that a no fly zone was authorized and others seemed to be conflating such an action with full intervention. You are the first I've seen present the vote as such. Can you elaborate on the language of the resolution?

[joshcryer]

6. It is primarily a NFZ, but there is a phrase "by any means necessary" which allows troops.

However, so far it is a NFZ, and the United States has already said it will be handing off operations soon.

[Catherina]

7. Wesley Clark was on CNN this morning explaining that the UN resolution

authorizes everything, boots on the ground and all, excluding full blown occupation.

Here's the relevant text

"to take all necessary measures… to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamhariya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force.”

[BeFree]

9. Yep

If McBama had told us he was asking the UN to allow us to bomb anything and everything,
like we are doing in Afghanistan, there would have been a different reaction.

The Arab League was taken by surprise, too.

Those warmongerers sure are slick, eh?