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The Collapse of Libya and the Failure of 'Smart Power'
Townhall ^ | Sep 01, 2014 | Guy Benson

Posted on 09/01/2014 10:35:30 AM PDT by LucianOfSamasota

When conservatives criticize the Obama administration over the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks, much of the attention is trained on the security failures preceding the raid, the dishonest public spin campaign after the fact, the lack of accountability nearly two years later, and the still-unanswered questions on a host of fronts. But that lethal event was merely a symptom of the White House's broader, unraveling foreign policy. The president intervened in Libya in 2011, deploying US military resources to help a rebel fighting force depose and dispatch murderous dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The Libya conflict was paradigmatic of Obama's approach to war: 'Leading from behind,' aerial bombardment, extremely light footprint. War from the air. War without Congressional approval. And war, in this case, with no clear strategic objective. The result of that conflict was, in Obama's judgment, an example of how the international "community is supposed to work," as he declared at the time.

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: benghazi; libya; nato; obama
Liberals are so much smarter than you that you cannot comprehend their brilliance.

When (inevitably) their brilliant plans don't work, its never their fault.

Their plans are right - its reality that's the problem.

1 posted on 09/01/2014 10:35:31 AM PDT by LucianOfSamasota
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To: LucianOfSamasota

Yep. The Libyan people were so much better off before Obama and his muslim brotherhood invaded.


2 posted on 09/01/2014 10:40:25 AM PDT by boycott
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: LucianOfSamasota

reality is the problem. lol


4 posted on 09/01/2014 10:45:17 AM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: LucianOfSamasota

Somewhere near the bottom of this pile of failures and negligence, is the belief that Islam can be democratized, and Muslims can learn Western values through that democracy. We need better thinking and people to do it, if it isn’t too late already.


5 posted on 09/01/2014 10:55:50 AM PDT by pallis
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To: F15Eagle

“We came, we saw, we skittered away and left them to the wolves.” - Hitlery


6 posted on 09/01/2014 10:56:16 AM PDT by TigersEye ("No man left behind" means something different to 0bama.)
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Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: F15Eagle

“Ah ain’t no ways tard of rewritin’ histry!”


8 posted on 09/01/2014 10:59:03 AM PDT by TigersEye ("No man left behind" means something different to 0bama.)
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To: LucianOfSamasota

They really eat sh*t don’t they?


9 posted on 09/01/2014 11:02:51 AM PDT by FreeperCell
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To: GeronL

Ain’t that the truth. When reality conflicts with theory, most people adjust their theory. Not progressives, they lie about reality.


10 posted on 09/01/2014 11:53:56 AM PDT by JimSEA
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To: LucianOfSamasota

“Who started a war to get Qadaffi’s riches?
It was the Democrats, those sons-of-bit**es.”


11 posted on 09/01/2014 1:02:46 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: LucianOfSamasota
I have almost finished reading Dark Forces by Kenneth Timmerman about Benghazi and what led up to it.

Hillary wanted to tout Libya as a success story, which is why she refused Chris Stevens' repeated requests for more security. He was sent to Benghazi to prepare for a planned visit by Hillary herself later in September which was supposed to highlight how the Obama administration's handling of Libya had been a great success.

The mortars used against the US compound were operated by men who were well-trained. Timmerman thinks they were Iranians (who had lots of experience with mortars in the Iran-Iraq War). Definitely there were Iranians there in Benghazi at the time.

The main takeaway from the book is that Obama and Hillary are even worse than I thought.

12 posted on 09/01/2014 2:10:28 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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