Former Obama Adviser Says President 'Vindicated' on Libya Strategy

Los Angeles Times ^ | August 22, 2011 | Peter Nicholas

[nickcarraway]

Moammar Kadafi’s fall from power would be a vindication of the Obama administration’s strategy in Libya after the president endured months of criticism for “leading from behind” and letting European allies take a more upfront role in fighting Kadafi’s forces, a former adviser to Obama said.

“The administration is entirely vindicated,’’ said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution who has advised three presidents on the Middle East and south Asia. “They said from the beginning that the primary actor here needed to be the Libyans and they weren’t going to put boots on the ground.’’

After briefly taking the primary role in establishing a no-fly zone in March to suppress Kadafi’s air defenses, the U.S. stepped back and let the Europeans “be the lead element,’’ Riedel said.

Obama’s strategy was quickly declared a failure by his Republican critics, who said the U.S. was guilty of doing too little, too late to topple Kadafi.

“A lot of naysayers said we’d end up with a quagmire or stalemate,” Riedel said. “Today, that doesn’t appear to be the case. The administration will rightly say their approach turned out to be a better estimate of the balance of forces in Libya than many pundits thought.’’

By virtue of the administration’s strategy, ensuring a peaceful post-Kadafi future is not the sole responsibility of the U.S., Riedel said. Other European countries now have a larger stake in the next phase of the Libyan story.

“The Obama administration from the beginning has wisely seen this as not America’s baby to solve. Frankly, there are others who have much greater equities here.

[wildwood]

And they’re happy about the push toward Shariah law too?

[hometoroost]

Before we thump our chest, could we see what kind of whack jobs replace the current whack job?

[volunbeer]

I am sure the media will fawn all over this “victory”. They will ignore the very dangerous precedent the Libyan action established. Can you imagine the news coverage if a Republican had committed to this action? There would have been thousands of Code Stink types outside the White House every day.

I detest Quaddafi and he should have paid for Pan Am 103 decades ago. However, the “Arab Spring” has only created a more dangerous world and destabilized the Middle East. It will be the same in Libya.

At least this will free up our aircraft and resources to start bombing Syria or protecting the starving refugees in Somalia. /sarc

[barstoolblues]

This is not leadership. This going along with a group. If the group had not agreed with this action, it would not have happened. In spite of the rightness or wrongness of this action.

[barstoolblues]

This is not leadership. This going along with a group. If the group had not agreed with this action, it would not have happened. In spite of the rightness or wrongness of this action.

[libstripper]

The only way this disaster can be viewed as a success is from the standpoint of a radical Islamist who wants to destroy every US ally in the Mideast and replace him with a radical Islmaist state that virulently hates America, capitalism, and freedom. That, of course, perfectly describes the Illegal, along with his being a communist who bitterly hates America and Americans, the most recent Obamunist hateathon being the Martha's Vineyard vacation where he and Moochelle are flipping off every American who's suffered from his depression and making us pay for it. OMG. are they ever an utterly vile and contemptible pair.

[sickoflibs]

Mission Accomplished? A liberal claimed the same to me today and I told him:

1) let’s see in 6 months
2) Voters dont care abour Kaddafi or Bin laden right now, they are worried about their jobs and food prices

[Obadiah]

First off, it ain’t over yet. Second, if Tripoli falls there will be a power vacuum much as there was in Baghdad. Now come the hard part. And what of Syria?

The Liberals STILL have bumper stickers on their cars about Iraq. Funny, I see no stickers regarding Libya.

[Safetgiver]

Whooo, Hoooo. Al Quaida (ah, eh, ieh, whatever) won! With my money.

[DeaconRed]

Once MO-MAR the K man is gone, then the fun begins.
There will be civil wars with blood shed like never before.
This will last a long time. ZERO will get the blame, mainly because he is taking the credit now. . . . . . . .

[onedoug]

We need to help that hijacker over too. Where´s he now?

[allmendream]

“a matter of weeks not months” statement is vindication six months later?

I don’t think that word means what they think it means.

[Paladin2]

I’ll wait top see how this Jihad is doing in the next few years.

[Truth29]

"Once MO-MAR the K man is gone, then the fun begins. There will be civil wars with blood shed like never before. This will last a long time. ZERO will get the blame, mainly because he is taking the credit now. . . . . . . ."

I doubt Zero will get the blame because the media will stop reporting on it, just as Egypt is now relegated to the back pages or not at all. Another example, how many Americans even know that Lebanon is now run by Hezbollah?

[DManA]

I don’t believe they ever stated explicitly that regime change was our goal. If I’m wrong please correct me.

[himno hero]

Absolutely!

That was all a part of the MB / Hussein / AlQaeda game plan.

Don’t you love to see success at the expense of us, the crusader Americans?

Stupid American populace allowing this crap to go down!

[jesseam]

When does the movie come out??

[onedoug]

islamist out, islamist in. Just swell....

[OpusatFR]

How ridiculously political!

The current fighting is not over and when the smoke clears, the government may be much worse than Gadafi.

I realize Obama has an affinity for all things Muslim Brotherhood and anti-American, but perhaps that is the point.