Libya

Who Are the Rebels In Libya? Hillary Clinton Has No Idea.

by Mark on March 29, 2011 13:13 pm · 3 comments

Speaking at the London Conference on Libya in the UK capital today, US secretary of state Hilary Clinton was asked what type of shady characters are part of the Libyan rebels we have spent nearly a billion dollars to help so far. Reports have surfaced that Al Qaeda is on the ground there, and that fighters who have killed our troops in Iraq are there as well. And who are the rest? Who are we handing Libya over too?

She’s as certain of who the rebels are, as Commander-In-Chief Obama is certain what his mission is there. Here’s her answer, which reminds me of Nancy Pelosi saying that we are going to have to pass the health care bill before we know what’s in the bill.

“We do not have any information about specific individuals from any organisation that are part of this. But of course, we are still getting to know the people [rebels] leading the Transitional National Council [TNC].”

She has no idea who there are, but still, she’s looking into going beyond air support and actually arming the rebels. Today made note that UN Security Council resolution 1973 makes it legal to give guns to rebel forces, and this is a consideration for the future.

“It is our interpretation that 1973 amended or over-rode the absolute prohibition of providing arms to anyone in Libya, so there could be a legitimate transfer of arms if a country were to choose to do that.

“We haven’t made any decision about arming the rebels, so there was no need to discuss this today. We did discuss non-lethal assistance. We did discuss other means of support … they obviously are going to need funds to keep them going.”

The Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qeada and assorted other Islamist groups are praising Allah for their good fortune of the inept American leadership.

Source: EUobserver.com

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Ron Paul: Obama’s Libyan War Unconstitutional

by Mark on March 28, 2011 8:38 am · 2 comments

Ron Paul says that declaring and acting upon a No Fly Zone is an “act of war” and as such he has not consulted with congress, as the Constitution calls for. Even worse, while ignoring our own congress (and in fact leaving town), he gave deference to the United Nations, and there is nothing in our constitution about getting approval from foreign bodies in order to go to war. Obama has used a U.N. Security Council resolution to legitimize U.S. bombing raids under international law. But the U.N. Charter is not a substitute for the U.S. Constitution. And the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power “to declare war.”

Here’s a good article at Foreign Policy on Obama, Libya and the Constitution: Obama’s Unconstitutional War.

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DEBKA: US Sliding Into Long-term Military Involvement in Libya

by Mark on March 28, 2011 7:25 am · Comments/Link

The rebel gains you are hearing on the news today are only thanks to a strategic tactical retreat by Ghadaffi, says Israeli intelligence website DEBKAfile. The retreat was not because the rebels are beating them, but to avoid being blown up by superior US sea-based and air power. This means that when the Libyan forces eventually reorganize and strike back at these towns, US air and sea power will need to be continued.

In the view of DEBKAfile’s military experts, the Libyan opposition’s gains are no more than a victory on paper, not the battlefield. Qaddafi and his commanders executed tactical retreats from those towns – not because they were beaten in battle but to avoid being ground down by superior US sea-based and air power. That power opened the door for the opposition rebels to recover the towns they lost in the last three weeks and pose as victors.

For Washington, the implication is clear: Continuing rebel momentum against Qaddafi’s forces depends on United States commitment to two steps:

1.  Keeping up the aerial and sea-based bombardment of government forces. Nothing, otherwise, will stop Qaddafi’s troops turning around and heading back east to recapture the towns they left.  Containing Qaddafi’s army cannot be left to the limited capabilities of France and Britain or any other members of NATO which has assumed token command of the Libya operation.

2. Organizing the rebels into regular combat units and furnishing them with arms, funds and military instructors. The other alternative would be for the Americans to invest increasing numbers of ground forces into Libya to defend the eastern provinces against Qaddafi reasserting control.

I’m really interested in hearing Obama speak tonight. I want to hear how he explains that Libya is more strategically important to the U.S. than Syria (and by extension Iran).

I apologize for choosing “War” for this post’s category, but I did not have one for “Kinetic Military Action.”

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Benghazi Rebels Thank Britain, France, Qatar & UN. Uh, what about the U.S.?

by Mark on March 23, 2011 13:06 pm · 3 comments

Al Jazeera Libya Live Blog, March 23, 6:00pm:

James Bays, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Benghazi, said there is a “thank you” rally taking place there.

People have gathered to thank Britain, France, the UN, and Qatar – the reason for it is to thank international nations that have taken part in this air campaign.

No thanks for the United States? That’s what we get for helping the Libyan “rebels” whoever the hell they are.

America has become the Rodney Dangerfield of the world.

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What’s Wrong With This Picture?

by Mark on March 21, 2011 7:09 am · 1 comment

How can one man screw up so many things in two years? The question going on is, can someone really be as inept as Barack Obama, or is he on a mission to destroy America? The answer seems to be both.

And how is he doing in Libya? Let’s review where we are at:

  • If we were going to act in Libya, the time to act in Libya would have been two weeks ago. Since then, Gadaffi has killed likely tens of thousands, displaced more, and hidden many of his weapons. A coalition is great news, but not at the expense of the mission.
  • The Arab League said, sure U.S.A. and allies, go get him, invoke the no-fly zone. And, as usual, we are not asking the oil rich states to pay for any of it. Nah, it’s on us, we’ve got plenty of money! Oh, by the way, now The Arab League is upset with us going in too strong.
  • At first, boy-President Obama summoned up the courage to tell Gaddafi to leave the country. But now, maybe it’s okay if the Michael Jackson look-alike stays in power as long as he abides by a cease fire.
  • The French are leading the way. The French! If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right and as the world’s #1 superpower, let’s lead.
  • There is no identified mission in Libya, there is no plan for the Middle East, and Obama cannot even identify the overall problem in the area: islamic fundamentalism.

And what’s our Spectator-in-Chief doing while Libya burns, the Middle East turmoil spreads, Japan glows after drowning after shaking, the budget battle rages and the economy heads for a double dip? After a week of fundraisers, parties, golfing, appearing on ESPN with his basketball picks, he and a few hundred others are headed off to Rio for a family vacation.

And by the way, maybe this is a dumb question, but why are we always saving Islamists?

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Boone Pickens: “Be careful counting on the Saudis”

by Mark on February 25, 2011 14:54 pm · Comments/Link

Watch Boone Pickens, who was on CNBC this morning and once again railed on the United States government for not having an energy policy — the only developed country in the world without one. He also said to not count on the Saudis to fill the gap of disrupted oil from Libya — no one has ever audited their reserves. He sees $120 oil.


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Bahrain’s Unrest More Important than Libya’s

by Mark on February 25, 2011 8:43 am · Comments/Link

We’re all focused on Libya right now. Stepping aside the devastating human side of the civil war, the world is concerned about the disruption of Libyan oil. But we missing a much larger potential oil problem in a much smaller country, Bahrain, according to Stratfor. Listen to Analyst Kamran Bokhari explain the dangers.

[Click to watch video and read transcript...]

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