Posted on 03/22/2011 2:42:58 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Speaking in Chile to defend his decision to launch Operation Odyssey Dawn, President Obama couldnt resist taking a swipe at George Bush, in a clumsy attempt to make himself look superior.
As reported by Fox News, the President declared: "In the past there have been times when the United States acted unilaterally or did not have full international support, and as a consequence typically it was the United States military that ended up bearing the entire burden."
As the folks at Fox quickly pointed out, Bush actually had twice as many international allies for the invasion of Iraq as Obama has put together for his adventure in Libya. They even put together a list.
The thinking behind this latest Bush smear is extremely troubling. You might view Obama reflexively blaming or denigrating Bush as a dog-bites-man story, but consider the context.
Odyssey Dawn is only four days old. Unlike Bush, Obama made no effort to prepare the American people for the operation, and now that the initial surprise has worn off, significant questions are being asked about his authority to launch these attacks. The concept of taking executive action to counter an imminent threat was arguable in Bushs case and people have been arguing about it for years but utterly risible with respect to Libya. Indeed, the Administration hasnt even tried to advance such an argument.
Serious questions are being asked about the long-term objectives of Odyssey Dawn, how much of it well be expected to pay for, and whether promises to avoid the commitment of ground forces will be kept.
Against this backdrop, Obama decided to throw out an offhanded smear of his predecessor a slander so transparently false that it was debunked within minutes?
Thats a disconnect with reality so profound that it verges on mental illness. It also highlights just how half-hearted and poorly thought out this decision was. The President has a massive staff and an enormous political team, but apparently no effort was made to put together a comprehensive response to critics of Libya policy. Nobody gamed out the scenario, considered the most predictable developments, and developed comprehensive, well-researched answers to likely challenges. Instead, it was Improv Night in front of a brick wall in Chile, and the President decided to haul out the old joke about Bush the Unitary Executive.
The Presidents comment demonstrates an appalling lack of knowledge about the Iraq war. He ran as an outspoken opponent of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay but has continued all three, and now added Libya. It would seem his campaign criticism was not informed and intelligent opposition, but rather a general conviction that George Bush is the devil, and anything he did should be mindlessly denounced from every possible angle.
Congress is understandably upset that they werent even formally notified about Odyssey Dawn until several days of bombing had already gone by. No rational person could have thought they would be mollified by boasting of how many international allies were consulted, especially since this is a coalition Obama was dragged into. This is not the rhetoric of a President who has been carefully weighing policy options since the beginning of the Libyan uprising. Its the irritable snarl of a man who sent American troops into combat to get everyone off his back, so he could get back to doing what he enjoys.
I’ve always said someone is pulling his strings. I now believe, beyound a doubt, to be muslim extremists and communists. They’ve banded together to destroy this nation. The idiot communists are going to be surprised when the muslims start beheading them.
Odyssey Dawn sounds like the name of a stripper. What were they thinking? Obama doesn’t really have a foreign policy, so some equally unqualified women are making one up as they go along. We have a community organizer in charge of the most powerful military establishment in the world, and he is delegating authority to people who are bigger ideologues than he is.
According to this website there were 52 countries in the Coalition of the Willing in March-April 2003, 15 of which provided boots on the ground. In March 2004 there were 53 countries with 34 providing troops.
17 UN resolutions were promptly ignored by Iraq along with harboring of known terrorists, large payments to suicide bombers, known terrorist training camps, WMD and its use on their citizens, over a year of warnings and a Congressional Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq. But this fiasco? All is well in Barry’s World.
http://www.pwhce.org/willing.html
Obama joined the coalition in libya. Obama did not form the coalition
He’s just a lying metrosexual.
Please, Lord, let this man be defeated. Just let him eat his waffle back in Chicago--or even better, Kenya.
His press secretary announced the bombing to the press who were watching the movie Wag the Dog
A perfect description for this entire "Presidency" if you ask me.
And most importantly, he discussed and cleared it with congress first. His first responsibility should be to the United States, not the United Nations.
It wasn’t a misstatement. It was a deliberate LIE because Odumbo KNOWS most of the LSM will cover for him and most leftists are too stupid to know the facts!
I think his caliphate building endeavors might explain more.
Had he spent more time, as a adolescent, learning western history and culture as opposed to reciting the Koran we would probably had more of an American for president.
Caliphate...consolidation for the caliphate.
At Americas expense.
Obama Lied, People Died
I don’t care what you think but I feel morally obliged to point out that Bush was not a jerk.
Have I ever mentioned that I really, really hate this cowardious, white hating, arrogant, organized criminal, country hating, America destroying, gay muslim, racist black bastard child of an ugly hippy slut?
I really do... no, I really really do.
please get a brain
Bush had over 30 nations along with him, and the congress.
This guy started a war from a brazilian beach.
Does anyone recall where Bubba was when he commanded US intervention in Bosnia?
He was being philated by Monica Lewinsky, who was under his desk, LITERALLY while Bubba was on the phone, giving that order.
Recall also how much promising there was that that op would be completely finished before the end of that year.
See where we’re going?
“Congress is understandably upset that they werent even formally notified about Odyssey Dawn until several days of bombing had already gone by.”
He took a page from Bubba Clinton and Bosnia on this one.
Such indefensible scum.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.