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 couldn’t 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 Bush’s case – and people have been arguing about it for years – but utterly risible with respect to Libya. Indeed, the Administration hasn’t even tried to advance such an argument.
Serious questions are being asked about the long-term objectives of Odyssey Dawn, how much of it we’ll 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?
That’s 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 President’s 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 weren’t 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. It’s 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.
Verges on? Barry hasn't been in touch with reality for decades and he's not going to be any time soon. Barry lives in his own bubble of self worship and being president is probably the best place in the world to reinforce that view of himself. People who elected a guy with no track record and who erects a Styrofoam Athens to deliver a speech don’t deserve any better, though.
Those of us who saw Barry for a madman from day one have to wonder, do people so torpid that they cannot recognize an unbalanced con man have anywhere near enough character to recover from the damage they’ve done by electing him? We can only hope that the young folks who were lucky enough to be among the two thirds of children not aborted in this country are morally stronger than their parents. I wonder what the odds of that being true are.
Thanks!!! What an incredible story and video!!
This says a lot about the weak minded and ineffectual people we have elected to congress, too.
We need people who will actually do something about this.
Hayward just blistered that A$$!
Please, Lord, let this man be defeated. Just let him eat his waffle back in Chicago—or even better, Kenya.
It would be nice to think that they “left the light on” at Gitmo for one HBO II, usurper.
What kind of name is Odyssey Dawn anyhow? Title of a romance novel? I’ll have to check Amazon for that one.
OD? — more like OverDose! Put that with his other unfortunate Winning The Future (WTF) campaign slogan.
I’m ODed on BO! WTF?
Obummer must have asked Bill Ayres for some ideas on oeprational names.
Didn't catch who said it's a Celebrity Cruise Line cruise ship.
I think this whole article highlights dear leader’s narcissism.
I hope you got to see Rep. Allen West address that very thing.
Multilateralsimpism:
Oh, Baaaary...Baaaaarry.... We’ll go to war with ya. Come on. Let’s attack Fiji—People’s Republic of Somewhere-or-other.
Dear Barry: My son’s bar mitzvah is next week. Please invade the Cayman Islands, and have your daughters dress as go-go dancers. Send me your bill. PS: We are the sovereign nation of More-Dollars-Than-Sense, located off Cape Cod.
Excuse me!
Bush: Constitutionally required Congressional authorization.
BHO: NO Constitutionally required Congressional authorization.
THAT is a behemoth of a difference!
BTW, live by your tagline.
This outstanding article is the product of John Hayward, who now writes at Human Events.
Many will remember him from his many beautifully expressed thoughts - no, exquisitely expressed thoughts - in articles at Hot Air’s Green Room, where he wrote as Doc Zero.
Yay, Doc Zero!!
I did not catch what Rep. West said, how about a synopsis??
Odyssey Dawn.... sounds more like a name for a stripper than for a military action. Shake those tassels, Obie baaaybeee!
“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.”
It’s in line with the R2P (Responsibility to the People aka; “Humanitarian Wars”) policy that so excites Samantha Power. She, and Hillary convinced Obama for the sake of the people of Libya to initiate the assault is what I’ve read.
The precedent has been set with Libya, and as the “Humanitarian Wars” policy of the UN is really designed to put Israel on the spot over the Palestinian lunacy, it appears that is the next target.
Target Israel.
Lying, teleprompter reading mofo...
(not you, Tailgunner Joe)
595 days till the electoral - ELECTORAL, Mediadoesn’tMatters - beatdown this regime so richly deserves.
He’s exactly right, and I was onboard USS Dwight D Eisenhower in 1986 when we helped shut Kadaffy’s mouth for those 30 years...
Thanks for that link!
Just when you think that foul piece of sh’+ Ubama can’t sink any lower, he comes up with something else.
Pray for America. Less than two years left with this stinking animal.
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.