Posted on 10/20/2011 4:55:08 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama hailed Muammar Gaddafi's death on Thursday as a warning to authoritarian leaders across the Middle East that iron-fisted rule "inevitably comes to an end," and as vindication for his cautious strategy toward Libya.
Obama joined U.S. politicians and ordinary Americans in welcoming the demise of Gaddafi, who was for decades regarded as a nemesis of American presidents, and also claimed some of the credit for the Libyan strongman's downfall.
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"This marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya," Obama said in the White House Rose Garden.
Obama made clear he considered Gaddafi's death a validation of his "leading from behind" strategy that had drawn criticism at home for casting the United States in a support role in the NATO air assault in Libya. Some of his Republican foes see it as an "Obama doctrine" that abdicates U.S. global leadership.
He also issued a veiled warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other long-entrenched Middle Eastern leaders resisting home-grown democracy movements to take heed of Gaddafi's fate.
"Our leadership at NATO has helped guide our coalition. Without putting a single U.S. service member on the ground, we achieved our objectives, and our NATO mission will soon come to an end," Obama said in a televised statement ..
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STARK WARNING
Obama also touted Gaddafi's death as a stark message to other authoritarian rulers in the Middle East where revolts upended longtime leaders in Egypt and Tunisia this year.
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"For the region, today's events prove once more that the rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end," Obama said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
“International and American laws”
OK for the American part, but I don’t agree that there are any such thing as international laws. Under whose jurisdiction do they fall? In what court are they prosecuted? There are treaties, but that is not international law
Obama is killing one dictator at a time so he can be the last dictator standing.
Not just our media...
“Well first of all, today’s not a day to be pointing fingers. I’m glad it’s all working out. Ultimately it’s about the freedom and liberty of the Libyan people. But let’s give credit where credit’s due, it’s the French and the British that led on this fight and probably even led on the strike that led to his capture or to his death,” Rubio said Thursday on Fox News.
Rubio said President Obama “did the right thing” by bringing the U.S. into the multinational intervention effort in Libya but “he just took too long to do it.”
Why do I keep thinking about The Godfather?
By his own mouth, PharaObama seals his fate.
The world has gone mad. People actually enjoy seeing a mob kill someone? I’ve seen animals killed with more respect.
Will Obama heed his own warning?
The Narcissist in Chief just cannot resist taking credit for ANYTHING he thinks is a positive.
The man does not have a humble bone in his body, and if anyone should it is he. What a complete, self-centered pos.
I think the murder of Qaddafi is a very bad thing, depraved. Disgusting. Reminds me of the murder of the czar and his family. Yeah, the guy was a bad guy. But you try him. He could have made it easier on himself. Still, the fact of the matter is this is about power and control, pure and simple. These rebels have no love for their “people,” just as Qaddafi didn’t. It is all about the wealth and status.
The devil stalks this pathetic planet.
Would the Animal Rights people be opposed to the way Gaddafi was murdered?
The killing of Qaddify and Osama suggests one thing to me: They were killed to keep them quiet, they should have been a treasure trove of information, some of it about the CIA, I’m sure, and it is that information that really got them killed..
And BOTH were captured ALIVE and then killed....welcome to the new government MOBSTERS
But not one any of them will likely heed. Most of them came from nothing. Faced with the choice between living a life of poverty and a life of luxury where they'll totally have their way with the men (and women) of their country for 42 years, which way are they going to tip? Obama gets it wrong again.
I'm personally glad he's gone, but I would have preferred a modicum of restraint to keep him alive to maybe answer a few questions, then be tried, THEN summarily executed. Savagery is not Democracy, and Democracy should not welcome Savagery as an acceptable division of its representation.
I'm not surprised Obama would crow about this outcome.
Does the Nobel committee want its Peace Prize back yet?
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