Friday, February 25, 2011

Mr. President, with all due respect - it's time to bomb the muthafucka

An F-15 Striking Eagle.
I don't usually write directly political posts here at the Hub Review. And I'm by nature a pacifist (believe it or not).  But I'm sorry, it's time - past time - for real solidarity with Libya, and by extension the rest of the Middle East. And that means military action against the Gaddafi regime (which even now is murdering its own citizens in Tripoli).  We sat on our hands as the Iranian revolution failed. Are we really going to do it again? Isn't there some way to push a resolution through the UN Security Council and quickly have some F-15s on their way to military targets (military targets only, not cities, not civilians) in Libya?  History has HANDED us an opportunity to re-align ourselves with an entire region (and with Islam), and we are, excuse me, so far blowing it.  The Middle East needs us now, and we can help its people achieve democracy - or at least a chance at a better life - with minimal risk to our own forces.

As for the usual fears regarding direct military action - yes, there are risks.  There are ALWAYS risks.  But this time the popular will would be behind a limited intervention, not against it, and that would make all the difference.  As for handing regional dominance to Iran - please; the Iranian regime is itself fragile.  Who knows if the fall of Gaddafi might bring about a renewed revolutionary spirit in Tehran, too?

And in the meantime - can you just imagine the faces on the fucking Tea Partiers and birthers - not to mention that idiot Glenn Beck and the disgusting Rush Limbaugh - if their arch-enemy brought down Muammar Gaddafi?  When Barack HUSSEIN Obama was behind the destruction of one of America's longest-standing enemies, the nutjob who outwitted Reagan and both Bushes?  I confess that would be a sweet, sweet day - almost as sweet as the fall of the Libyan madman would be to his own oppressed people.
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

3 comments:

  1. I'm like you, Tom: As much as I wish it wasn't, sometimes military force is the only moral option. Though I suppose someone is going to label both of us as "neo-cons" for talking like this. (The far-left will hate this as much as the far-right!)

    Given how quickly Milosevic was removed by his own people after NATO air strikes during the brief Kosovo campaign, this looks like a cake-walk-- (Note that was accomplished without approval from the U.N.) though it did require NATO ground troops to maintain Kosovo as a protectorate. Still, it was one of Clinton's successes as a military and diplomatic leader.

    The U.S. has the ability to do the air strikes on its own, but making sure this doesn't turn into the Berber equivalent of the break-up of Yugoslavia may take ground troops.

    ReplyDelete

  2. Well you know, when the hard left and the hard right are both against something, you can be pretty sure it's the right thing to do.

    ReplyDelete

  3. No doubt this is on the table in discussions between the White House and Pentagon as well as other involved agencies. Who knows how this weighs against other options or what actually has to be moved into place before such an action can be taken. There is certainly a moral argument that the circumstances do necessitate some action by somebody-- it certainly is in accord with most concepts of "just war."

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)