Obama’s shifting stands

The recent crisis in Libya has highlighted two important features of the Obama administration’s foreign policy: inconsistent messaging that allows other countries to take a leadership role on important international issues.

The president was a noticeable spectator to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron’s leadership preceding military operations against the regime of strongman Moammar Gadhafi. From the beginning of the crisis, the Franco-Anglo duo has stayed consistent in their messaging: that the current Libyan regime must immediately give up power or face military consequences.

However, the mixed messaging from the White House has been confusing at best, downright dangerous at worst.

First, the president said, “Gadhafi must go,” and once U.S. military assets were committed to combat operations, he said America has a “limited role” to play. This lack of strategic guidance gives the armed forces an ambiguous mission. The least the president could give an American military yet again in harm’s way is a consistent message that clearly lays out the goals of the United States.

For an administration that promised to be the most transparent in history, the Libya crisis is showing just how murky their decision-making truly is.

Neil Walther

Spokane