With the United States economy tanking and vital programs being cut for lack of money on both the federal and state levels, President Barack Obama has already spent over $600 million in just six days in the Libyan war. The U.S. is now actively fighting the war on the side of the rebels — an intervention in a civil war that has been embraced by liberals like Nancy Pelosi.
We have already fired 191 Tomahawk cruise missiles from their arsenals to the tune of $268.8 million and dropped 455 precision guided bombs costing millions more.
The Administration is now saying that it does not know how long it will be engaged in Libya. Obama’s defense of the war last night was full of questionable factual assertions, shifting rationales, and undefined goals.
Barbara Boxer and Pelosi have shown how relative politics can be. With an intervention in a civil war by a Democrat, they are heralding the move as positively courageous. It is part of our personality driven politics. As with the Republicans under Bush, Democrats are discarding core values to support Obama — even in the face of an undeclared war. Liberals are now publicly referring to the oil in Libya as a vital national interest in explaining our lack of intervention in places like Syria. It is a Faustian bargain for liberals that will prove as disastrous for Democrats as it was for Republicans. We have a political system that is now entirely devoid of principle. The only thing remaining is blind allegiance to personalities. It is no longer the war that matters but the man who ordered it.
Source: ABC
Does the President have to go through congress when we join NATO in war?
I know that Reagan didn’t when he ordered our military to invade when he was in office.
Alex, you are right. Saddam Hussein used to show the suffering of the Iraqi people while he enjoyed the luxury of hundreds of lavish palaces. The problem was that the military operation in Iraq gradually produced a number of unintended consequences. I hope when Kadhafi is forced to resign as the Libyan president the countries involved will not repeat the same mistake from the 1990s when after the Gulf war the responsibilities were put in the hands of the Iraqis and Hussein easily regained all his powers.
when the libyan people try to form their new government they’ll find out the true cost of our help.
We’ll know that it is really about freedom and democracy after they liberate Tibet, North Korea, Kashmir, Osterlich, and the country formerly known as Burma…
“in honor of our boys still fighting on the Malabar Front the weekly ration of Victory Gin has been increased to 50 ml.”
we have alway been at war with Eastasia…. haven’t we ?
uhm Joan, are you fucking stupid…what about Saddam Hussein and him dropping poison gas on his people? Is that not the same thing…. idiot.
Bush 44 should consult with Bush 41 on how to get Saudi Arabia to pay for our Middle Eastern Oil Wars. (But that didn’t get Bush 41 re-elected either.)
So will we be bombing Bahrain and Saudi Arabia today? I hope so, because those rulers are attacking the people of Bahrain with American made weapons (and we greenlighted those attacks). We DO want to help peaceful protesters from being attacked by dictators, don’t we?
What about that budget crisis? Don’t we need to shut down the govt. because there isn’t any money left? So where did the money for this war come from? Tinker Bell? This should give the lie that the US suffers from a fiscal crisis. We suffer from an ethical crisis wherein we can grow money on trees for war and banksters, then the trees magically dry up when domestic programs that actually aid our people come up for funding.
Likewise, our ethics grow on parties. If one is R, one finds everything R acceptable. If one is D, one finds everything D acceptable. In other words, people in this nation are refusing to have a moral compass. That is the true disaster–it is much worse than have such evil people run the govt.
No more raises for CIA folk until they pay off this bill.
http://lynch.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/29/the_case_against_the_libya_intervention
AY,
unfortunately it is true. However, Sarah Palin thinks it cost $600 Million a Day so I did get some enjoyment out of that!
Tell me again why we have to cut Head Start?
This is just too incredible to be true…
Another thought…unless possible total annihilation….what is the goal?
Joan,
It is the Oil Beneath My Sand…..that we want…. Oil….Where ever you may be….
How about using some of this money wasted on the bombs put it into education…..these make be smart bombs…but the people using them appear to be dumb….
And this is how empires end . . . interesting.
What is most interesting is that we had the example of the Soviet Union crumbling under the weight of its militaristic stupidity, we had the actual words of OBL saying his goal was to bring us down the same way and yet the arrogance of power told us we we different, we were better.
I almost commented on the Newt posting as I like to attempt humor but with Newt is too easy. I cannot, however, avoid adding my 2 cents about Libya. I would be in favor of protecting people but, if that was the motivation, where is the protection for working people in this country who are/were attacked by Wall street, Republican governors, and the previous administration (and sad to say, this one)? Prosecute in Libya and elsewhere but let American torture, wholesale theft, and people’s rights, slide by. I would like to believe but it is impossible. I know Prof. Turley has explained this all far bette than I.
My new mindset is that we are ruled by gangsters and racketeers and it explains a lot. That the President came from the school of Chicago politics only adds to the understanding.
I doubt it cost that much!!! Hell, BUSH put us in IRAQ ans we are still there for NOTHING!!! The people in Libya are being murdered by a dictator with no way to defend themselves. Take the money that we give away in AIDE to fund the help we need to give to Libya.
I would argue we have been a Nation without principles for a long time. It did’t start with Obama. It won’t end with him.
I haven’t had much hope for our Country since SCOTUS annointed Bush President. Obama completely crushed whatever was left when he ran as someone who cared and wanted to do the right thing for ordinary Americans.