Kucinich Warns Obama on Libya War

[coyote]

Support for war against Libya has risen to a fever pitch even among liberals. I would point out that Russia, China, India, Brazil and Germany abstained from the UN Security Council vote yesterday, belying the Obama administration’s contention that bombing Libya has worldwide support. There is very little difference between George Bush’s 2003 “coalition of the willing” and Barack Obama’s “alliance” in 2010, since it is comprised of the US, UK, France and a handful of reactionary Arab states in the Persian Gulf who are meanwhile using brutal force against their own dissidents and rebels.

In response to President Obama’s warlike declaration of intent against Libya, Representative Dennis Kucinich issued the following statement today. Needless to say, I agree. Here is the statement:

“Washington D.C. (March 18, 2011)—Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today released the following statement and letter to Congressional leaders after the President announced that the United States will support a United Nations-approved attack on Libya:

“While the action is billed as protecting the civilians of Libya, a no-fly-zone begins with an attack on the air defenses of Libya and Qaddafi forces. It is an act of war. The president made statements which attempt to minimize U.S. action, but U.S. planes may drop U.S. bombs and U.S. missiles may be involved in striking another sovereign nation. War from the air is still war.


MORE...

http://www.thenation.com/blog/159336/kucinich-warns-obama-libya-war

[ananda]

1. Rec rec rec!

nt

[Catherina]

2. Why even warn him? It's clear he's not listening and so uninterested in their positions

that he doesn't even consult Congress. He just issues a presidential decree after consulting with neocons and Tomahawks start flying everywhere.

For a constitutional scholar, I'm not seeing any respect for the constitution.

Meanwhile in Libya, the mod is turning markedly anti-Western. Great going!

Rec'd

[Desertrose]

5. Not surprising.....now that we are "in"...how long do we stay?

If Gadaffi is not "removed",how long do we continue to support the rebels? How long to maintain the NFZ?


I mean here we are in another never ending conflict....if we walk away now, we'll have just made things considerably worse.


Catherina, I am sharing your bad feeling about this. Big big mistake.....much as I want the killing to stop, not seeing this as the way.

[Catherina]

15. They're ready to be in it for the long haul

UPDATE 1-Mullen says stalemate a possibility in Libya
Sun Mar 20, 2011 2:10pm GMT

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - The top U.S. military commander on Sunday said the end-game of military action in Libya was "very uncertain" and acknowledged it could end in a stalemate with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CBS' "Face the Nation" program that the military mission has a clear, limited scope. But he could not predict how long the action might take or what its outcome might be.

Asked if it could end in a stalemate with Gaddafi, Mullen replied: "That's a possibility." (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Paul Simao)

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFN2022755920110320

They're going to divide the country in two, I just know it.

They're not even targetting Gaddafi's compound. It's not on the list of targets. How transparent can they get?

[Desertrose]

18. A reporter asked the general if they were going to target Gadaffi and he said NO.

So if they don't ....then what is endgame? Like you said, I'm afraid it will go on tile there are only pieces of Libya.

They certainly are transparent when you know what to look for and take off the blinders.



:hug: God, I am hoping we are both wrong.

[Catherina]

20. I saw that, my jaw almost dropped to the floor.

Not even on the list. :hug:

[sad sally]

21. This may be why Sec Gates was not seen or heard neither yesterday

nor today. Quoting Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Gates declared, “In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined.’” (The Post-Standard, Feb. 26, page 1). My bet is that he will leave the administration sooner than he recently announced.

[sasha031]

12. it's not the 1st time he hasn't consulted congress

there was always the backroom deal on tax breaks for billionaires and who could forget the public option.

[Catherina]

16. I know. That's some constitutional scholar I tell you n/t

[Bluebear]

28. :)

[Bluerthanblue]

3. Dennis has been here before- and lost.

http://lawofwar.org/campbell_v_clinton.htm

I disagree with him.

[NorthCarolina]

4. K&R

[Karmadillo]

6. K&R

nt

[The Northerner]

7. K&R nt

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. Oh!! It has "worldwide support" allright. They support the US doing and paying for it all.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Lauching misslies into a sovereign country isn't really war it's....well..something else.

[sasha031]

10. k/r rec.

Dennis has the heart and conviction to speak out.

[Scuba]

11. K&R Go Dennis!!!! n/t

[Modern_Matthew]

13. K&R for one of the few sane voices in our warmongering nation. nt

[lob1]

14. K&R. Why Libya and not Bahrain?

I see the Arab Brotherhood backing out on their approval today.

[ClarkUSA]

19. Because the Shia opposition has agreed to talks w/the Bahrain gov't.

And because the Bahrain leadership did not promise to visit a Rwandan-style genocide on his opposition aka. "rats" as Gadhafi has.

[ClarkUSA]

17. Kucinich is wrong; this is not war. But since he rightly voted for HCR, I'll cut him some slack.

[rug]

25. Send him an email. He'll be relieved.

http://www.kucinich.house.gov/Contact/

[PurityOfEssence]

27. It's war. Military forces attacking military forces, and not just to protect civilians

Asshole though he was and is, at least George W. Bush called it what it was: regime change.

What on earth makes this "not war"? A French Fighter-Bomber attacked armored vehicles that were being used to fight armed combatants; how does that square with Resolution 1973's call to protect civilians? Civilians had nothing to do with that.

[razorman]

22. I am concerned that we will be hypocritical for raging against GWB's launching of a war

without congressional approval if we do not hold President Obama to the same standard. Neither Iraq or Libya was a threat to us. If we are starting wars for oil, then why don't we ever get the freaking oil? Have we entered any conflict since WW2 with an actual endgame in mind?

[hardcover]

23. Thank you for having common sense.

"If we are starting wars for oil, then why don't we ever get the freaking oil?"

Exactly! If the left and the right would quit lying about each others' motives we could accomplish wonders.
A lot of Iraqis did want us there yet it didn't work out so well. A lot of Iranians want us there too, and that would not work either. We should not be in Libya.
Yes I read all the tweets, Libyan rebels wanted a no-fly zone, but this won't work well either. Sad as it is to say, we will be hated for trying to help no matter what we do. We should have learned this lesson well by now.
If you think I'm hard-hearted, I'm not. I cried for the Iranians many times, yet I know the only way they will have freedom is if they make it for themselves. The ultra religious in the middle east will always make us into demons because they are afraid of freedom. When they get a free and fair vote, they voted for Hamas in Gaza, and Egypt just voted yes for for constitutional amendments that the Muslim Brotherhood wanted. The majority of the ME doesn't want true freedom.

[razorman]

26. Well said. As bad as a current M.E. regime might be, we should not be under the illusion

that its rebel opposition are good guys. Whatever comes out of all this, it is unlikely that it will be friendly to us.

[Bluerthanblue]

24. Kosovo was no threat to us - but we got involved there.

I couldn't fault Pres. Clinton for his decision. I feel much the same on this.