Posted on 03/17/2011 2:19:25 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Freshman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) lashed out at the Obama administration's Libya policy on Thursday, saying that the United States looked weak and naïve in hoping that the U.N. Security Council would act to protect the Libyan people.
"The United States, quite frankly, looks weak in this endeavor, it looks unwilling to act," he said at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Thursday, highlighting that Britain, France, the Arab League, and the Libyan opposition are all calling on the United States to support stronger measures to stop Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi's assault on rebels and civilians.
"The president has specifically said that Qaddafi must go but has done nothing since then except for having general debates about it for a week and a half or two," Rubio said. "Congressional leadership has strongly called for a no-fly zone and nothing has happened."
The stance of Rubio, the committee's newest Republican, it exactly opposite of the committee's top Republican Richard Lugar (R-IN), who said at the same hearing that a no fly zone was not a good idea and would require a Congressional declaration of war.
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns emphasized that the United States was pushing for stronger action at the Security Council, with new resolution coming as early as today. ....
But Rubio was extremely skeptical that the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council would endorse military intervention in Libya.
"To say that we're pressing the United Nations and that's energetic action is to basically say... that the United States may feel strongly about something but we're not doing anything that the Chinese and Russians don't agree to." ....
(Excerpt) Read more at thecable.foreignpolicy.com ...
America isn’t weak, just Obama.
Obama is awaiting his orders from the UN. Meanwhile back in Rio.
We look weak? As far as the current Administration is concerned that’s not a bug, that’s a feature.
foreignpolicy CFR wants more newworldian picking sides when it’s not in our interest eh?
color me shocked.
Memo to Marco: We can’t invade every country in the Mid East.
Absolutely correct.
And because of that fact, imagine how much foreign money will be pumped into his campaign in ‘12.
Maybe someone can explain to me why, if China is such a rival, the US granted it permanent MFN.
If the British, French, and the Arab League want a no fly zone, let them impose one. They have the money, the bases, and the equipment.
Why we should intervene on behalf of rebels we know nothing about in a country that sells its oil to Europe escapes me.
Can he explain in detail why the rebels are the “good guys” aside from the fact they oppose Gaddafi? Other than this fact, who are they exactly?
Question for all the heeroe politicians: If the poor downtrodden people being helplessly shot and bombed is our motivation WTF happened with Darfur?
Obama is weak. He should have the courage to tell Egypt and the other crying countries in the ME that they need to handle their problems. They have air forces, let them enforce a no fly zone. That won’t happen though. We will spend our money; risk our lives, and whatever Islamist governments take over will hate us anyway.
Rubio is right in a way!
It’s not a matter whether or not we should be involve in Libya, there are many reasons not to get involve-—it’s a matter of Obama as President opening his mouth and committed himself to Gadhafi being gone and considering options, then backing away and throwing the decision making to the U.N. and Europe, now Europe and the U.N. is bickering over what to do while Gadhafi is strengthening his hand and counter-offensive against the rebels, and now Europe is looking back at Obama and the U.S. for urgent answers where it may be too late.
Our enemies see the U.S. via Obama as weak, not able to take command of the situation, and that our words don’t mean anything. In essence our enemies are embolden.
again it’s not that I want the U.S. necessarily involved in Libya but our President should have STFU if he wasn’t going to commit himself to action.
Bu
You’re right not Rubio. You said those things not Rubio.
Libya would make a great place for a US military base! Darfur, not so much.
Yeah, and it has oil. All the blabbering about humanitarian goals is just political hot air and hype.
I don’t know of anyone suggesting we invade Libya. The proposal is simply to prevent Kaddafi from using his own air force against his citizens. It seems to me this is a narrowly defined objective that need not lead to any deeper involvement. We should have done the same to stop Saddam Hussein from bombing the Kurds.
I’m well aware of that, and I am of the personal opinion no tyrant should be permitted to die a natural death. What I can not seem to find is detailed info on who the rebels are, what they would plan on doing if they successfully ousted the current regime, who is backing them if anyone, etc.
We should not get involved. I doubt China can afford it.
Where is the Congressional authorization?
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