Congress, International, Military, Politics, Society

Missiles Away! Obama Commits U.S. To Third Military Campaign

At a time when the American people overwhelmingly oppose our continued military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Obama has responded by committing the United States to another war. Today, the U.S. attacked Libyan forces with over a hundred cruise missiles hitting the capitol and surrounding areas. With the two wars already draining the United States of billions a day, these cruise missile attacks alone will cost hundreds of millions in both the equipment and commitment of forces.

While we go to war against Libya for its crackdown on democratic reformers and protesters, the United States continues to support its allies like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (which have unleashed tanks on protesters). What is the principled line determining when we go to war to support protesters or reformers? Will the same line apply to our allies?

Here is what Obama has stated today: ”Today we are part of a broad coalition. We are answering the calls of a threatened people. And we are acting in the interests of the United States and the world . . .”

We are now going to war in a country which seems to be experiencing a civil war. It is also a country that greeted the mastermind of the PanAm terrorist attack as a national hero. Finally, we are once again going to war without a declaration of war. While the Framers were quite clear about the need for a declaration, we are once again simply circumventing that inconvenient principle. The same Democrats who insisted that they were misled in using a resolution to start the Iraq War are again standing silent in the face of another President committing this country to war without a declaration. I consider bombing the capitol city of a nation to be an act of war.

I seriously doubt that the majority of Americans are opposed to the other two wars but would want to go fight in Libya.

While we are clearly not committing to a ground conflict, this is a move that is clearly opposed to the public’s desire to end this foreign military entanglements — and not to add new ones. The political disconnect over these wars is both distressing and dangerous for a system that, while a representative democracy, is still based on the notion of responsiveness to the voters.

Source: CNN

180 thoughts on “Missiles Away! Obama Commits U.S. To Third Military Campaign”

  1. Buddha’s main frame takes the lead.

    From SM’s link

    Kucinich, who wanted to bring impeachment articles against both former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over Iraq — only to be blocked by his own leadership — asked why the U.S. missile strikes aren’t impeachable offenses.

    Kucinich also questioned why Democratic leaders didn’t object when President Barack Obama told them of his plan for American participation in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone during a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday, sources told POLITICO.

    And liberals fumed that Congress hadn’t been formally consulted before the attack and expressed concern that it would lead to a third U.S. war in the Muslim world.

  2. If offshore drilling is such an awful thing for the environment, shouldn’t it be awful everywhere?

  3. bdaman, What is wrong with buying Brazilian oil rather than oil from the mideast?

    Washington has given Petrobras America Inc. permission to start oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

    I guess you didn’t connect the dots.

  4. You know I hear a bunch of folks very unhappy with what Obama is doing what he says and what ever else he will or was doing…..I did not support Obama….However, I will be forced to plug my nose and vote for him in 2012 if a viable 3rd party candidate is not placed on the ballot….Think about how difficult this job must be….for all of you nay sayers…do something positive and actually vote…Just because your party did not win do something actually campaign do something active…..this country has become so polarized because if you are for them you can’t be my friend…Before you cut and paste links and crap think about how you’d be able to do the job differently and run for that office…..make a difference in Principal….not personality….regardless of whom is in office…we all suffer….you can’t say you are that much better off while Bush was there….I lost 400 thousand dollars over night…the stock was worth 40 a share and has been delisted…and is going for about .28 cents per share…The bank president as well as board are being sued and it is getting ugly….

    Am I upset about that…of course I am…But is there anything I can do to make a difference….we’ll see after the stock holders that lost 700 million do… Work in the candidate of your choices campaign….support the best person to do the job…give money….time…effort….make a difference…and most of all vote….and vote your conscienceless heart… for the others…(a joke..of course)

  5. Shady,

    So, in your view, if it didn’t happen in the last month then we shouldn’t use it in our strategic calculus. Gotcha.

    I guess that means we’re friends with North Korea, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Belarus, etc., huh?

    Whew! Glad we cleared that up.

  6. Bob,

    I’m certain England and France pushed us into it. Probably said, “WTF? This is the big chance to get rid of Gadhafi. And you’re going to sit there and just let it pass by?”

    The objective in Libya should be to get rid of Gadhafi. Simple as that.

  8. Pingback: Wars Do Not Become Justified Just Because A Democrat Is President « World's (Not So) Funniest Blog

  9. bdaman, What is wrong with buying Brazilian oil rather than oil from the mideast?

  12. WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) — Washington has given Petrobras America Inc. permission to start oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, a regulator said.

    The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement gave Petrobras approval to use a floating production storage offloading facility at its Cascade-Chinook project in the Gulf of Mexico.

    The approval marks the first time FPSO technology will be used in U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

    Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2011/03/18/Petrobras-gets-permit-for-US-deep-waters/UPI-87891300453143/#ixzz1HB359R6t

  13. Bob,
    I am not suggesting that it is a good thing for us to do, I was merely commenting that I believe that in the minds of the “braniacs” who deemed this policy necessary, they have oil in their minds. I agree that we don’t have an official horse in this race, but in Iraq, we went into it to get rid of Sadamm and to get access to their oil not for the people of the US, but for oil companies. We imported a small percentage of our oil from Iraq before the 2003 war was initiated. Now we are Iraq’s largest partner in exporting oil. Of ocurse, it may not be the United States that benefits from these partnerships, but various oil companies are getting richer because of it. And many of those oil companies pay littel or no taxes here. Libya is just one more source of oil that Shell and Exxon/Mobil and BP can access more freely. Who cares if Europe stands in the way of corporate American?

  14. rafflaw: “I think OIL is the bottom line in at least two of three current “military actions”. While I do not like Ghadafi, we are not in a position to take out every idiot in the world.”

    But we only get 0.5% of our oil from Libya?

    What’s in it for us?

  15. Glad to see most of you are alarmed at our electioneer-in-chief. I am irritated at his policies for mostly other reasons but I’ll take the revulsion.

    Frank, glad to see a Phil Ochs reference. I personally prefer “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” about general social apathy. But I’m that wouldn’t interest – – anybody …

  16. America cares about one thing – maintaining its standard of living. As Americans we represent 5% of the world’s population and consume 25% of the world’s resources. War – get used to it. It’s Peak Everything now – peak oil, peak copper, peak you name it. America calls itself a moral country with God on its side. I think not. If Saudi Arabia and Bahrain blow up, it is going to fascinating to watch the Washington BS flow.

  17. Jeff,
    I thought the Right wants the US to be a Christian nation so wouldn’t we always being Christian morals into the decisions made that would concern life and death? Just asking?
    Bob,Esq.,
    Well said on the alleged US interests. However, I think the true cost of today’s cruise missles is closer to 1 to 1.4 million. It is too much money either way!
    I think OIL is the bottom line in at least two of three current “military actions”. While I do not like Ghadafi, we are not in a position to take out every idiot in the world.

  18. My apologies, China only gets 3% of Libya’s oil. Disregard question about China.

    “Europe gets over 85 percent of Libya’s crude exports. The rest goes to Asia, Australia and the U.S. Here’s a breakdown of how much oil various countries import from Libya (in barrels per day) and the percentage of a country’s total crude imports supplied by Libya.”

    _Italy: 376,000 (22 percent)

    _France: 205,000 (16 percent)

    _China: 150,000 (3 percent)

    _Germany: 144,000 (8 percent)

    _Spain: 136,000 (12 percent)

    _United Kingdom: 95,000 (9 percent)

    _Greece: 63,000 (15 percent)

    _United States: 51,000 (0.5 percent)

    _Austria: 31,000 (21 percent)

    _Netherlands: 31,000 (2 percent)

    _Portugal: 27,000 (11 percent)

    _Switzerland: 17,000 (19 percent)

    _Ireland: 14,000 (23 percent)

    _Australia: 11,000. (2 percent)

    (Source: International Energy Agency 2010 statistics)

    http://www.newser.com/article/d9li25n00/europe-gets-most-of-libyas-oil-exports.html#continuedBelow

  19. Jeff, are you even trying to be serious? You are attempting to justify dropping bombs on Libya in 2011 because of events that took place in the 18th century?

    Let me make this very simple for you.
    What international shipping has Libya attacked in the past month?
    Names and dates would be helpful.

    Ah, so the government has to lie to the people about the causes of war. But it’s for their own good and it’s moral anyways. How very “Straussian” of you.

  20. So Jeff,

    If Europe gets 85% of Libya’s oil exports and Asia gets the rest, just what is our interest there?

    Shouldn’t we get fully compensated for our time and materials?

    As I posted earlier…

    Tomahawk Cruise Missile

    Unit cost approximately $756,000 in 2011 dollars.

    110 missiles @ $756,000 = $83,160,000

    Where’s China in all this?

    Is China giving us credit for this on our debt?

    Are we made of money?

    Do you really believe we can keep stretching ourselves without any consequence whatsoever?

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