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August 22, 2011 in Nation/World
Obama: Gadhafi’s ‘rule is over’
President Barack Obama speaks about Libya on Monday, Aug. 22, 2011, in Chilmark, Mass., on Martha’s Vineyard.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
CHILMARK, Mass. — President Barack Obama said Monday that Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi’s “rule is over” although elements of his regime continue to resist rebels who have taken control of much of the capital.
He appealed to Gadhafi to prevent further bloodshed, and urged opposition forces to build a democratic government through “peaceful, inclusive and just” measures.
In his first appearance since a weekend push by the rebels into the Libyan capital, Obama said fierce fighting rages in some areas of the capital city of Tripoli.
“But this much is clear. The Gadhafi regime is coming to an end, and the future of Libya is in the hands of its people.”
Obama made his comments on the grounds of a vacation property where he is staying on Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast.
Half a world away, rebels claimed control of most of Tripoli, including state-run television. At least two of Gadhafi’s sons were in custody, but the ruler’s whereabouts were unknown after nearly 42 years in power.
In his remarks, Obama said the popular uprising against Gadhafi “echoed the voices we had heard all across the region,” from Tunis to Cairo, the capitals of two other Arab countries that forced autocratic rulers from power this year. The president made no mention of Syria, where the government has launched a crackdown against protesters in recent weeks that has resulted in the reported deaths of thousands.
The apparent end was coming to the Libyan regime about five months after an air campaign launched by the United States and NATO began targeting Gadhafi’s forces.
“In the early days, the United States provided the bulk of the fire power and then our friends stepped forward,” Obama said.
He added that Gadhafi was “cut off from arms and cash and his forces were steadily degraded. … Over the last several days the situation in Libya has reached a tipping point,” he said, and “the people of Tripoli rose up to claim their liberties.”
The president provided no information about efforts to locate Gadhafi, although White House and Pentagon officials said earlier they believe he’s still in the country.
Obama received an update earlier in the day from John Brennan, his deputy national security adviser.
Already, the White House was claiming success for the administration’s policy, which has drawn criticism as the NATO-led operation stretched on far longer than had initially appeared likely.
Asked whether the rebel advances were a vindication of Obama’s strategy to let NATO take the lead in Libya, spokesman Josh Earnest said he would not “assess winners and losers,” but said Obama’s approach “has yielded a lot of favorable results here.”
He said the administration had no intention of changing its policy of keeping U.S. troops out of Libya.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton telephoned the leader of the Libyan Transitional National Council on Monday, and also spoke to leaders of several nations who are part of an international diplomatic effort known as the Libya Contact Group. That body could meet as soon as next week in Europe.
A State spokesman said Monday that no decision has yet been made on whether to send U.S. military and diplomatic weapons experts to Libya to help prevent the Gadhafi regime’s massive arsenal of anti-aircraft missiles from slipping into the hands of terror groups.
Military officials estimate the regime amassed as many as 30,000 Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS, before the fighting began. Most are believed to be early-model Russian missiles and launchers.
The U.S. has already sent an interagency team to the region to confer with Libya’s neighbors and is providing $3 million to two international weapons abatement teams to locate and dispose of the weapons.
Some missiles have been dismantled, but officials in Algeria and several other nations have raised alarms that other plundered weapons have reached al-Qaida’s North African branch.
The Pentagon has provided well over 60 percent of the intelligence flights in support of NATO operations involving Libya. The U.S. led airstrikes before turning the mission over to NATO forces.
Obama spoke one day after issuing a written statement that said the situation in Libya had reached a “tipping point” and control of the capital was “slipping from the grasp of a tyrant.”
Opposition fighters captured his son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, who along with his father faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. Another son was in contact with rebels about surrendering, the opposition said.
The United States has joined other countries in recognizing the Transitional National Council as the legitimate government in Libya.
In his remarks before television cameras, Obama said that as the post-Gadhafi era begins, “the rights of all Libyans must be respected. True justice will not come from reprisals and violence, it will come from reconciliation.”
© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Stocks plummet as outlook in Europe dims 
WHS on August 22 at 12:29 p.m.
President Obama does it again!
Seems that this socialist liberal sure knows how to get the job done when it comes to taking names and kicking ass… And for a tenth the cost and more importanty, No American Lives Lost!
Want a little cake with that tea President Obama?
Now, if the tea party would just back the F off, and allow a President that knows how to get things done go to work, we would all be doing better!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
WHS
misjustice on August 22 at 12:39 p.m.
Yup! He does it again, and while on vaca too…
Cue the hue and cry from the TBP, in one, two, three…
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 22 at 12:40 p.m.
The tea baggers would rather send in over 150,000 troops at a time into two countries, have almost 6,000 troops killed, 50,000 troops wounded, over a million civilians killed, stay in the these countries for over 10 years awhile bankrupting this country by spending trillions of dollars on wars.
Diana on August 22 at 12:54 p.m.
Just showing Cheney/Bush how it’s done.
Obama 2012
Wizard_Of_Oz on August 22 at 1:07 p.m.
I voted for Obama the first time to show I’m not rascist.
I wont vote for him again to show I’m not stupid.
Oh and how is the economy while Nero fiddled in other countrys business, but he cant run this one?
and for the badly misinformed posters above. It was a NATO action and not a JCS one. ergo Obama just watched CNN like the rest of you fools. There were no late night Pizzas at the Pentagon/CIA/NSA.
misjustice on August 22 at 1:20 p.m.
Yup, and which nation, largely, leads NATO? France? Germany? Norway? Denmark? Spain? Italy?
And if Gadhafi had prevailed it would have been blamed on the 1/2 black dude in the WH; so I get it ooze. When President Barack WhoSlayed Osama wins, he still loses, and when he loses he still loses…
Oh, and the economy is improving btw; no thanks to the previous president, Cheney, and the TeaBag Party.
Dazzeetrader11 on August 22 at 1:23 p.m.
And he did it with NO troops! The left’s fantasy continues!!!
When will you guys wake up. Nice victory for the Libyan rebels.
Coffee on August 22 at 1:37 p.m.
The economy is improving? Were is it improving? The company I work for has not hired anyone new. The company’s that deal with us have cut hiring way back.
Our county should not have been involved in Libya at all. The people that will be replacing Gadhafi and his people, will be just as bad if not worst.
Dazzeetrader11 on August 22 at 1:44 p.m.
Yes the economy is on fire J…<rolls eyes=”“>…you know something the US economists don’t? That unemployment figure is just dazzling too!
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_752463.html
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44227763
He’ll try to print money and further devalue the dollar. It’s his only choice. Too bad a new stimulus won’t be voted in. He blew it first his first one. By the way what DID he do with that money?
We have an idea of where some of the $3.7 trillion went from the Fed. His buddies on Wall St got lots! He is a fraud. Says one thing. You lefties lap it up. He gives a speech. You lap it up. He gives money to your professed enemies ( the banksters) and you lap it up again. No wonder the number of liberals in the US is down to 25%. Somebody is, indeed, waking up to this fraud.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-21/wall-street-aristocracy-got-1-2-trillion-in-fed-s-secret-loans.html
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 22 at 2:03 p.m.
Of course the tea baggers think the people who are fighting to end a dictatorship are going to be worse than what currently rules Libya. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
Would you baggers have preferred we had gone in there with military force, stayed 10 years and placed someone in charged that we picked? You know, cause you know thats working out so well in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What are you tea baggers mad about with this? We spent less money, lost less human lives and the PEOPLE OF LBYIA get to pick who runs their country, not George W. Bush, not Dick Cheney, Not Donald Rumsfield, Not Robert Gates and not Barak Obama, THE LYBIAN PEOPLE GET TO DECIED THEIR FATE. They got tired of living under a dictator for 42 years, you really think they are going to let another one take his place?
Are you mad because we are not forcing the American tea bagging way on them?
pjc on August 22 at 2:06 p.m.
Another job lost on Obama’s watch.
misjustice on August 22 at 2:15 p.m.
pjc, now that’s funny!
Sorry Coffee, maybe you need to work for a better company? The company where I work is hiring, at all levels. Any sales experience? Those positions start at 40K plus bonuses and incentives - pushing a starting compensation package at over 50k - but ya gotta produce…
I know, Dazzee, you NEED things to be bad, really, really, really bad; it’s the only chance the Tea Bag Party has at winning in 2012…and bless their tiny lil’ hearts, they are doing their best to keep things from improving.
Things are improving, sloooooowly. Certainly not as fast as most of us would like (expect Dazzee) but definately better than when Cheney tanked the economy…it took 8 years for him to ruin EVERYTHING, fixing it all is gonna take longer than 2 3/4s years…
Dazzeetrader11 on August 22 at 2:16 p.m.
Libby….
perhaps you didn’t notice that the Libyan rebels did this. No troops…nothing…weapons were there and were siezed. Obama did nothing but give a speech or two.
As his mission creep goes, remember his goal was to protect the tebels and the people from Gadaffi? Everyone said it. Everyone agreed on it.
Then….surprise of surpises..NATO and it’s eventual surrender monkeys took charge. Clean hands from the professed messiah. After his mission was stated, what happened? In contradictinction to the goal..he went after their president. It’s no great victory for Obama even though he gives speeches about it. he did nothing except lie as usual. Credit where it’s due please. None of our troops and none of our war. Are you libs this steeped in fantasy?
Obama is. you do know he blames the Japanese Tsunami and the Arab Spring for the US economy now? Heck Rocky and Bullwinkle could do better.
Harry Truman he’s not. He didn’t win a war we didn’t show up for. It’s beyond reason. Sure we had some planes in the bimbing..as did France, Italy, etc. as part of NATO.
And now what? This is what…..
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-21/wall-street-aristocracy-got-1-2-trillion-in-fed-s-secret-loans.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/22/us-usa-poverty-foodstamps-idUSTRE77L45Z20110822
Your fantasy victory doesn’t matter. The above two links matter.
mikeln on August 22 at 2:16 p.m.
He was well liked by the republicans and BP, what could have gone wrong? Maybe he decided not to take our worhtless dollors anymore and demanded something of value for his products. We let this guy get away with murder for almost a half of a century, and gave him money to boot, I can see this country becoming another iran. And if the wrong people end up in control, watch as our soldiers are sent to fight and die….for BPs oil.
Shadedmuse on August 22 at 3:08 p.m.
Looks like Soccer susie has not posted here because she is ridding on Rick Good Hair Perrys Short Bus.
MrNatural on August 22 at 3:33 p.m.
…well I’m perplexed…when The child-president conjured up a fictitious reason to nail Saddam rabid conservatives came to his rescue after no WMD’s were found saying…he was a bad man so that’s reason enough …Now Faux Noise condemns President Obama (yeah so what else is new) for the Libyan intervention…but at least he’s successful with the NATO alliance which is more than Bush can tout…so what do they expect Obama to do now?… tell NATO to give it back Gawddaffy?
It is clearly apparent that none of the conservatives can bring themselves to congratulate this president even for a job well done…they prefer to change the topic rather than admit that their archenemy had a hand in making the world a safer place …what a bunch of mean-spirited malcontents
ChefGus/ John Olsen on August 22 at 3:40 p.m.
“44” has my vote…. Not happy with the war and military budget stuff, but perhaps bringing a modicum home, that money can be redirected into some food, safety and housing for the veterans that have been discharged or have separated. Lots of “collateral damage” that no one is paying a great deal of attention to.. The V.A. system is gonna get crunched . John
pjc on August 22 at 3:47 p.m.
mr. natural: Good to hear that you are for undeclared wars that never see the light of Congressional approval.
On the bright side, Obama’s third war is ending (Libya) and he’ll be able to focus on his fourth war (Predator drones in Yemen). Two years into his administration and he now owns the first war (Iraq) and the second war (Afghanistan).
At least he closed Guantanamo Bay. Didn’t he?
I guess all that anti-war stuff during the Bush administration was just politics.
detroitdude on August 22 at 3:48 p.m.
Obama could go to the Tea Party right now and say “I’ll do whatever you want.” He would somehow still be wrong and criticized by them. It’s all greed and racism with these folks.
detroitdude on August 22 at 3:53 p.m.
pjc said: “Good to hear that you are for undeclared wars that never see the light of Congressional approval. ”
And regardless of the aggressive Republican stance and bi-partisan support from Democrats, you still think there was a valid reason to go into Iraq?? Seriously, I don’t care what Colin Powell said, I don’t care about the supposed “evidence” against Saddam. It was all a lie, and those who could not see this from the get go are highly gullible. Why do I say this? GWB started beating the war drum almost a year BEFORE invading Iraq. He obviously had an axe to grind.
Also, troop draw downs and withdrawal in Iraq and Afghanistan are under way. You can’t just pack up and leave in a week after being there 10 years.
Guantanamo Bay is a failing of President Obama, no excuses. Of course, it wouldn’t be his problem if it weren’t for the retarded past administration opening the damn thing.
Shadedmuse on August 22 at 4:05 p.m.
Here is the Question, what do these Rebels stand for? could they be Al Kaita in Lybia? or could the be Shiite Muslims like in Iran? could Lybia turn into a lawless Alkaita run nation or could it become a regligous based govenrment like Iran? At least with Kadafi we knew who we were dealing with, as the saying goes the Devil you know is better then the Devil you dont know. we dont know what these rebels stand for? Obama may have helped put a fundlementist power in charge of iran, I Hope Michele Crazy eyes backman gets the tea-bagger nomintation. because she is the christian versian of Iran. Rick Good hair perry is the christian versian of Al kaita.
greyhound2 on August 22 at 4:05 p.m.
Don’t know anybody who gives a rip about Libya, a 24th world country with a total population smaller than New York City. Just another cesspool to muck around in. Worth the effort; not hardly. Easier than doing anything about jobs and housing in the US though, and more fun for Congress than dirverting attention to gay marriage and abortions for distraction. Anything to avoid any consideration of any real problems, but don’t forget to send the paychecks!
MrNatural on August 22 at 4:26 p.m.
Nice tomato pjc…There never was a good war or a bad peace as Ben would say and I was not thrilled to see the US get into the Libyan uprising. But I’ll admit that I’m not presidential material and I am wrong about stuff once in awhile…and truth is I’m perplexed about Obama in general…but I find that he espouses morals akin to my own, he is articulate (a relief from his slurred predecessor) and that if it wasn’t for the incessant resistance from conservatives he-we might all find success whether it be overthrow of a foreign dictator or fix to the economy and jobs…but that’s just my opinion…I could be wrong…
DickAdams on August 22 at 4:29 p.m.
Great non-war??
misjustice on August 22 at 4:34 p.m.
I know one thing, I won’t be shedding tears over Gadhafi being thrown out of power; and neither will the victim’s families of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing or many of the other terror plots that he was implicated in.
Just sayin’…
ChefGus/ John Olsen on August 22 at 4:39 p.m.
the Lockerbie site is quite profoundly moving even today… he is as much a terrorist as was Bin Laden… and likely in our employ at some level over the years…
Question above about “who/what” is next… well it is more than likely the “rebels” on the ground are being funded and trained and armed by the U.S. government advisers.. the repeated history of our helpful overthrow of numerous countries dating back to the late 1800’s is there for all to read…. John (Keeps those arms and munitions manufacturers in Texas employed)
Blondscence on August 22 at 5:09 p.m.
Dear Leader will now face this….nice goin Dear Leader!;
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/08/22/libyan-draft-constitution-sharia-is-principal-source-of-legislation/
nslopeofw on August 22 at 5:11 p.m.
I’m glad mr. “line in the sand” is gone, just as i’m glad the Taliban and Saddam are gone. There really is no way to separate the goodness of getting rid of these tyrannical leaders/organizations. O did good, and so did W. Now if we could just get rid of Iran’s leaders……….. Hezbollah, and all the other terrorist organizations/countries, life would be good!!
Liberal_in_right_wing_land-
I wonder if you might cry “foul” if every time some one addressed you, they used a derogatory statement like teabagger. I bet you’d scream loudly, yet every time you talk about the TEA party, you use your nastiness to belittle them. You can claim you dont hate, but any rational person reading your rants knows otherwise. Keep in mind, we all know you are a teacher, and it scares me that someone without any self control over their hatred is anywhere near our children.
JBlim on August 22 at 5:15 p.m.
Obama (smart) let the Libyans fight their own war. Bush (dumb) committed U.S. ground troops. Obama had the advantage because the Libyans were fighting for a cause (smart+good). Bush, well, nobody knows why he attacked Iraq. Probably had something to do with oil. Bush had to use U.S. ground troops for that (dumb + evil).
Anyway, nice job, President Obama. It’s nice having a shrewd president for a change.
detroitdude on August 22 at 5:18 p.m.
Nslopeofw says:”Now if we could just get rid of Iran’s leaders……….. Hezbollah, and all the other terrorist organizations/countries, life would be good!!”
That is what you just don’t seem to comprehend. It is not our place to rid the world of this. It is not our duty to the world to waste our tangible resources to police everyone. It never was our duty or place. All that money, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya….why can those dollars not be put into projects that build America and benefit all of our citizens? Hell, if we’ve got the money to spend and we are gonna spend it anyways, why are we not spending it on every American who is a citizen?
JBlim on August 22 at 5:25 p.m.
dude “why are we not spending it on every American who is a citizen?”
I dunno, ask any teabagger, Cathy McMorris or the Boehner.
nslopeofw on August 22 at 5:37 p.m.
Detroit-
Personally, I like the idea of getting rid of people that want us dead. I consider that a better use of my tax dollars than paying for some no work, commie leaning American.
It is our place to rid the world of our enemies. I cheer everytime one of them bites the dust.
Blim-
Too bad you cant be honest. I guess being a liberal doesnt allow that. Oh well, when Obama loses the next election, your hatred and dishonesty can be used to fuel the fires for the following election.
The only thing Obama has been shrewd about is breaking 90% of his campaign promises and ruining our economy. I give him a bit of credit in Libya, but he had a much larger hand in nearly destroying us economically. He still may, because he unfortunately still has 1+ years to totally finish his job of wrecking our great nation. Get past the hate, embrace the love and honesty of the silent majority.
mikeln on August 22 at 5:43 p.m.
I would guess we have troops in libya right now, a lot of money from the west is involved here. We had troops in iraq weeks before the real war started, just no need for us to know about it. It’s all about the oil, always has been in modern times. Before, it was about religious stupidity, my god is better then yours.
misjustice on August 22 at 5:47 p.m.
@ JBlim, You know that we can always find the money to kill brown people a half a world away but we consistently draw the line at feedin’ them here at home… we wouldn’t want them to get away with anything, now would we? No good lazy so and so’s…leftist leaning commies…and you know who you are.
With love and honesty from the TeaBag Party
johnclarke on August 22 at 5:55 p.m.
nslopeofw; if only you were silent about anything. Like most Cons, you simply don’t have it in you to accept any form of success or victory as long as President Obama is in office. My view, based on facts and recent events is the guy has done a pretty good job of handling one world crisis after another. Tunisia and Egypt saw some startup errors, then quickly corrected (called learning from your mistakes) and Libya was handled perfectly assuming the Colonel does actually peace out. Syria, so far so good (unless you are a Syrian).
Also, it would be awesome if you could provide any form of evidence that Obama has “ruined the economy” since golly gee it looked pretty ruined when he got here. Perhaps you have missed the record corporate profits, and in spite of the swings of the market (thank you tea party) it is fully recovered - and in fact a little too high - all during Obama’s watch.
In closing, what exactly is your point? You hate liberals and President Obama. Check, got it.
detroitdude on August 22 at 5:55 p.m.
Nslopeofw says: “It is our place to rid the world of our enemies. I cheer everytime one of them bites the dust.”
Ah, so you admit that tax dollars, the tax dollars you whine and bitch about on here, are better spent bombing 3rd rate dictators and getting American soldiers wounded and killed? Those very same dollars could be spent on modernizing our infrastructure, scientific endeavors, and straight up cash relief to United States citizens, disabled, elderly, and veterans. You can’t justify your standing, party line tax logic in the face of that fiscal irresponsibility.
To top it off, your ilk BLOCKED a tax cut on the middle class and poor in which those who are living paycheck to paycheck would have felt some relief. What’s up with that?
johnclarke on August 22 at 5:56 p.m.
And now I am counting the seconds until Mr. Slope acts all wounded and calls me mean.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 22 at 6:04 p.m.
nslopeofw, we have been over this before.
I call them tea baggers because that is what this TEA Party called themselves when they first started out. Then, when they realized what tea bagging really meant, they tried to backpedal from it. Sorry, I just wont let them forget their own stupidly. They wanted to call themselves tea baggers, well thats what I will call them.
Is it derogatory…..maybe to you, but to anyone who isnt a tea baggers, its HILARIOUS!!!!!!
Grow up man, the tea baggers on here give just as much as I give, they love the stupid name just like we communist marxist, unpatriotic socialists do.
Dazzeetrader11 on August 22 at 6:42 p.m.
Listen up! FOr those of you who think Obama did anything but spend money, remember that it was the British and the French who led the air war on Libya. Obama…remember the phrase “led from behind”? He did nothing…but broke the law of War Powers as he did commit to some support from the rear.
HArly a leader in anything but more debt.
I supose you missed the link wherein he send billions to the Liya National bank? Thats Gadaffi…. looks like he’ll be leaving with $40 to 50 billion of Fed money. That’s right! OUR money.
There is no reason whatsoever to think Obama led on anything. No troops and very few planes. He spent money on the “war” but the war and it’s uprising was lef by the locals, Al Quesda and the tribes.
And look what he got for his efforts…Sharia law hostile ot the US. Same thing in Egypt. For an allegedly smart guy, he sure looks stupid and incompetent. He won nothing. He lost lots.
detroitdude on August 22 at 6:47 p.m.
“Obama…remember the phrase “led from behind”? He did nothing…but broke the law of War Powers as he did commit to some support from the rear.”
Stop it, Sally. “Lead from behind” was yours and Hawken’s catch phrases for a month before did anything to help the Libyans.
detroitdude on August 22 at 6:47 p.m.
Before Obama*
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 22 at 6:52 p.m.
Doesn’t every president lead from behind during war? Who was the last president fighting on the front lines?
johnclarke on August 22 at 7:12 p.m.
Um George Bush, when he landed on that “Mission Accomplished” aircraft carrier. Then he got in line for lunch. Same thing right ?
greenlibertarian on August 22 at 7:36 p.m.
You’d think the teabaggers would be happy that the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is going down in flames. Isn’t it Socialism they hate the most?
But you just can’t please perennial cranks and whiners. The US or any other NATO Treaty signee could have shut down the air and intelligence campaign against Ghadafi, but they didn’t.
Anyone who tells you they KNOW what will come next, politically, in Libya, is an outright liar.
Dazzeetrader11 on August 22 at 8:22 p.m.
Liar? How so? It’s obvious…. Sharia law IS the constitution. Islamists will be in charge. Nothing to be surprised about is it really Greenie?? It’s life these days.
Obama’s made a deal with his friends. Simple stuff. Proof to the contrary? None.
hawken on August 22 at 8:28 p.m.
Greenliberal:
“LIAR” is a term grossly overused by the liberal left, most prominently by you.
It has lost it’s value as a word and reveals the shallow intellectual ability of those who use it constantly. Then when someone can actually be shown to be a genuine “LIAR,” calling them a “LIAR” is meaningless.
I recommend that liberals, such as you, refer to any online Thesaurus to expand their vocabulary. That will make their posts more interesting to read and return to the term, “LIAR,” the prominence it deserves as a word, when applied to a genuine “LIAR.”
Dazzeetrader11 on August 22 at 8:35 p.m.
Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH_PXzpKi3s
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 22 at 8:38 p.m.
Comment thread over.
Traveler on August 22 at 8:39 p.m.
Daffee, er, Dazzee, I distinctly remember you wailing about Obama’s “five wars” a few weeks ago — yet when I asked you to name them, you went silent (no surprise, really). But now that the one in Libya is apparently successfully over, he had very little to do with it? I have absolutely no doubt how you’d feel about it if it had gone for, say, eight years, instead of five months. Sheesh.
And to you and others who hold Guantanamo against Obama as a “broken promise,” I would like to point out that he tried several times to shut it down. First, in 2009, when he tried to get the prisoners moved to U.S. federal prisons, he was blocked by the Party of No to Anything Obama Proposes (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/16/guantanamo-republicans-prisons); then by the Party of We’re Just as Tough On Terror as Those Guys (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/us/politics/20detain.html?pagewanted=all), which also blocked Obama in 2010 when he tried to speed up the trials by moving some of them into federal courts (http://www.zimbio.com/War+on+Terrorism/articles/XHs801awV1b/House+Blocks+Trial+Guantanamo+Detainees) — a move later backed by leading Repubs: “The administration still doesn’t get it and continues to ignore the will of Congress and the American people,” (Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee) said. “It’s time to end this unwise policy and keep ‘enemy combatants’ off U.S. soil once and for all.” (http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/08/nation/la-na-obama-guantanamo-20110308).
So if he couldn’t move the Gitmo detainees, and he couldn’t expedite their trials, what else was he supposed to do with them?
In my opinion, Obama inherited a can of worms without the can. I don’t know how many of them were terrorists to begin with (although I assume the vast majority of them were), but all of them undoubtedly were by the time Obama took office years after ther arrest.
As misJ would say: I’m just sayin’.
.
johnclarke on August 22 at 8:43 p.m.
all I gots to say is “mission accomplished”
Dazzeetrader11 on August 22 at 8:59 p.m.
With martini in hand Clarkie?? Waahhhhhh..”leave Obama alone!”…..you whiney liberals.
Looking for Superman? Seems so….better find another “Hopey Changey Promiser in Chief”
Obama’s War……the one he didn’t show up for.
SpokyDaBear on August 22 at 9:20 p.m.
That’s okay… Soon Obama’s rule will be over..
If only he can be persuaded to come back from yet another vacation..
greenlibertarian on August 22 at 9:26 p.m.
Yeah, Spokey, he’s taken HALF the vacation days that the Shrub did.
But then, you were the ignoramus that insisted the MLK day attempted bomber was protesting the high cost of parking downtown, so we expect much of any logic out of your ridiculous rants.
Traveler on August 22 at 9:36 p.m.
Spoky, et al., here are some facts for you:
“So far, President Obama has taken 61 vacation days after 31 months in office. At this point in their presidencies, George W. Bush had spent 180 days at his ranch where his staff often joined him for meetings. And Ronald Reagan had taken 112 vacation days at his ranch. Among recent presidents, Bill Clinton took the least time off — 28 days.” (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/17/eveningnews/main20093801.shtml)
hawken on August 22 at 9:42 p.m.
Bush and Reagan were not on the brink of a Greater Great Depression when they took vacation. Nothing wrong with vacation in and of itself.
Obama’s vacation to Martha’s Vineyard, populated by millionaires and billionaires, who Obama demonizes on a regular basis, along with their corporate jets, is hypocritical.
Not to mention that Obama is enjoying caviar while the nation is in peril.
Does Nero playing his fiddle while Rome is burning come to mind?
Traveler on August 22 at 9:59 p.m.
I think if any sudden development affecting the Greater Great Depression that demanded the president’s immediate attention occurred, he’s always pretty close to a telephone. Or, if it can wait an hour and a half before he has to take a call in the Oval Office, there’s a helicopter standing by.
Where would you rather he go? To an apartment building in Maryland? His house in Chicago? How about a ranch he bought just before he announced his candidacy for president? Oh, wait, that was Dubya.
Enjoying caviar? I don’t know if that’s true or if you’re just making that up to make him look bad (I suspect the latter), but you’re right. The leader of our country should eat baloney and cheese sandwiches to set the proper image.
And as for “fiddling while Rome burning,” you’re saying he shouldn’t leave the White House until the economy is back on footing that far-right reactionaries like you would accept? He’d never get a vacation!
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 22 at 10:22 p.m.
When Obama has spent 977 days on vacation - that would be Bush who spent more time on vacation than any other president - then maybe you tea baggers can talk.
Do you really think nothing bad happened when Bush was on vacation? Gee, just off the top of my head I can come up with Hurricane Katrina.
Traveler on August 22 at 10:34 p.m.
Hurricane Katrina? Wasn’t that the one where Dubya waited three days before flying over a devastated New Orleans, on the way back to the White House from his monthlong vacation in Texas? (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/31/AR2005083101283.html)
At least New Orleans wasn’t burning. Now that would have made for an unfortunate comparison.
Traveler on August 22 at 10:48 p.m.
The downgrade is absolutely the Republicans’ fault.
House leader Boehner got “got 98 percent of what I wanted” in the budget deal, so how much difference would the other 2 percent have made? If he’d gotten 100 percent, hawken, do you think S&P would have said, “Okay, now you’ve got a budget deal we like.”
liberal_in_right_wing_land on August 22 at 10:57 p.m.
Wait, you mean this New Orleans that was on fire after Katrina?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98689427@N00/632847067/
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/us/nationalspecial/23katrina.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1314078903-8m48kKNz9Bpl2nXqV4fbbg
Traveler on August 22 at 11:07 p.m.
^^^ :-)
Well, at least Bush was only flying over it looking out the window of Air Force One, and not eating caviar. Talk about insensitive!
nslopeofw on August 23 at 10:30 a.m.
JC-
So saying “O did good” was in no way me accepting success for this administration? Your Quote ” Like most Cons, you simply don’t have it in you to accept any form of success or victory as long as President Obama is in office.” Obviously in your liberal zeal to slam anyone that you dont agree with, you forgot to read what i wrote. Not all that surprising.
BTW, I can prove i’m not a conservative republican. You cant prove your not a liberal democrat, so please dont make yourself look ignorant by labeling those you dont agree with. I’m fairly certain that the conservative movement would throw me out over my abortion and gay marriage views, but i doubt there is a single reason why the liberals would throw you out. Stop the political facade.
nslopeofw on August 23 at 10:46 a.m.
DetroitDude.
The tax dollars you speak of are paid heavily by people like me. In that regard, (because i pay more than most do) i should have a bigger say in how they are spent. Its like voting…..you dont vote? Kinda hard to b*tch about who got elected. Same with taxes. You dont pay much or any? You shouldnt care how my taxes are spent. I on the other hand, by paying more than most, do care how my taxes are spent. And killing USA enemies is a good way as far as i’m concerned. Spending it on no works, or people who always have their hand out, is a bad way to spend the money i am forced to give the government.
And, i am the middle class, and kept the tax cuts Bush gave me. I didnt block anything. Congress blocked adding more tax burden on me and the rest of us that pay all the tax. Are you part of the 47% of Americans that dont pay any income tax? I bet you are. (maybe you pay some, but get it all and more back at the end of the year) So dont lecture me on taxes. I’ve paid heavily all my life for a pile of worthless people to not have to pay for that which they have.
As far as veterans are concerned, my believe is they get the best health care available for life. Just because congress doesnt do it, doesnt mean i dont believe it. You libs cant seem to understand that there can be people out there that dont back a single party, but its true. Most Americans only claim a party for voting purposes, and are actually a little of both sides. Why cant you understand that?
nslopeofw on August 23 at 11:00 a.m.
JC says ” All I gots to say is mission accomplished”.
OOOOps, better read today’s news, looks like maybe everything was a bit overblown yesterday.
‘Course, this is nothing like Bush’s Mission accomplished” cause its Obama. Libya isnt really a war like Bush’s wars, cause, well its Obama. Obama is the greatest president who ever drove our economy into the ground. I’ll give him that. he is a bit better than Jimmy, (the only other president that tried to ruin America financially) though by not much.
Ole Barry still has a rabid following, even though he has proven himself to be the worst president in the history of the USA. Kinda scary when you really think about it. Blind zombies, still following regardless of the campaign lies.