The abominable three-some, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and John Lieberman, loudly criticized Obama for not going into Libya with guns blazing. He wisely didn't listen to those hawks.
We provided massive airstrikes, surveillance, intelligence, money and probably other kinds of assistance, while letting the French, Italians, and a few Arab nations lead the war. It's been referred to as "leading from behind."
Somehow those hawks think that's shameful, that it is demeaning to America and is another example of how Obama is letting our once-imperial nation go into decline.
But consider this: So far, anyway, the Libyan rebellion has been successful -- without the loss of one single American life, and very few if any loss of life other than Libyans. We gave them a lot of help, but they fought it and won it themselves. It is very clearly Libyans taking back their country from a tyrant.
Yesterday, the New York Times columnist Nichols Kristof reported from Tripoli at how the Libyans he encountered felt about this. Over and over again, people on the street tell him that they regard us as heroes. When they learned where he is from, they "fervently repeat variants of the same phrase: "Thank you, America!"
Further, he stated, "there has been almost no looting, and little apparent retaliation against the families of loyalists" to Qaddafi. "Pro-Americanism now is ubiquitous," and Kristof was particularly struck when one young man asked about hurricane damage in New York wondered how he might help.
Contrast this to the anti-American feeling in Iraq and Afghanistan. Could it be that people resent us "invading" and "occupying" their country, even when we got rid of an oppressive regime?
Is that so hard to understand? Apparently it is, if you're blinded by that imperialistic, "We've got to be the leaders of the world" mentality.
Maybe President Obama has more wisdom, listens to wiser counsel, and has more sense than the trio McGraBerman.
Ralph
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