Gates says Libya not 'a vital interest' for US

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | March 27, 2011

[Oldeconomybuyer]

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he doesn't think Libya is "a vital interest" for the United States, but he does say the North African nation is part of a region that's of vital American interest.

Gates tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we clearly have interests" in Libya, though he doesn't believe it's a vital American interest.

Obama said that when innocent people are being "brutalized" and when a leader such as Gadhafi threatens "a bloodbath that could destabilize an entire region" and when other countries are ready to help save lives, then it's in "our national interest to act."

Gates tells ABC's "This Week" that he doesn't think Libya posed an actual or imminent threat to the U.S. before military operations began last weekend.

[Doofer]

Newspeak

[expatguy]

Of course if there is no vital interest of America then that makes the war right ala Kosovo

I wonder if the entire country has been taking the crazy pills.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[Sacajaweau]

Vital means what?? There are a lot of American Businesses that have bveen hurt by the embargo.

[umgud]

No matter who ends up in control of Libya, they will have to sell their oil. Maybe not to us, but at least into the international marketplace.

I don’t like Ghaddafi and have no problem sending missles into his tent. As to saving the Libyans at large, no matter how that turns out, these folks will still see us as infidels when all is said and done.

I just don’t want to risk US troops to save someone who will likely hate us anyway.

[mewykwistmas]

I think he told truth and lied at the same time.

[PGalt]

Kinetic Bureaucrat Spin (KBS)

[ClearCase_guy]

We should use the US military only in areas which as explicitly declared to be a "vital interest".
We should use the US military only after Congress has issued a formal Declaration of War (barring the need for a quick response to an attack against us).
We should explicitly declare that when we are at war, we reserve the right to use nucelar weapons, and that these weapons are central to our strategy of quickly and decisively winning wars.
We should disavow any notion of nation-building. We don't have an empire. We don't build empires. We don't build nations. Our military exists to kill people and to break things. Do not annoy us.

[andy58-in-nh]

Does this ass make my country look small?

[chainsaw]

but he does say the North African nation is part of a region that’s of vital American interest.

What he does mean is Libya is muslim and the chosen one is going to protect muslim interest and Gadaffy.

We should not be supplying Muslims with weapons that will be used against Americans in the future.

[Dr. Sheldon Cooper]

Translation: George Soros doesn’t own any Libyan oil wells.

[RetiredArmy]

Then why the h-e-double toothpicks are we over there?????

[Huck]

Obama said that when innocent people are being "brutalized" and when a leader such as Gadhafi threatens "a bloodbath that could destabilize an entire region" and when other countries are ready to help save lives, then it's in "our national interest to act."

Obama's remarks sound just like what Mrs. Palin said on Facebook:

NATO and our allies should look at establishing a no-fly zone so Libyan air forces cannot continue slaughtering the Libyan people. We should not be afraid of freedom, especially when it comes to people suffering under a brutal enemy of America. Here’s to freedom from Gaddafi for the people of Libya. --Mrs. Palin

[quesney]

So the US military’s job now is to protect European oil flows and security against immigration?

The blood and treasure of the US is at the world’s disposal and at the whim of elites who would not sacrifice their own or their family’s blood and treasure for this nonsense.

I’m sick of these people.

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]

IMPEACHMENT

[Nachum]

The list, ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/

[FrankR]

[dhs12345]

And our so called allies, the countries benefiting from the action in Libya, are now claiming to not own the military action.

[wiseprince]

It’s almost like he’s begging someone to start impeachment procedures with his comments. Any takers? I didn’t think there would be

[BenLurkin]

P>Hussein's left wing world view is dangerous to America's national; interest.