Obama on Libya: This is not what we wanted

BRASILIA, Brazil - As the U.S. began making missile strikes against air defense targets inside Libya, President Barack Obama took to the airwaves to talk about America's actions in the war-torn North African country.

"This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought," Obama said from Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. "We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy."

Obama said that embattled Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's continued assault on his own people left the U.S. and its international partners with no other choice. Right now, France, Britain, Canada and Italy are the only announced partners of the international coalition. A Pentagon spokesman said other countries involved wanted to announce their involvement themselves in their own time.

Complete coverage: Anger in the Arab WorldCrisis in Libya: Live Blog

"Today, we are part of a broad coalition," Obama said. "We are answering the calls of a threatened people and we are acting in the interests of the United States and the world."

A senior military official said the U.S. launched air defenses Saturday with strikes along the Libyan coast that were launched by Navy vessels in the Mediterranean. The official said the assault would unfold in stages and target air defense installations around Tripoli, the capital, and a coastal area south of Benghazi, the rebel stronghold.

As of the writing of this report, no actual U.S. airplanes were in the air over Libya. Instead, the Pentagon spokesman said the missile strikes were intended to set up conditions to make it possible for the enforcement of a no-fly zone expected to cover most of the northern parts of Libya.

In his statement from Brazil, Obama declared once again that the United States would not send ground forces to Libya, though he said he is "deeply aware" of the risks of taking any military action.

[obamapresidentLOL]

"Now, let me be clear - I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein," said Obama in his speech. "He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied U.N. resolutions, thwarted U.N. inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him."

"But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors"

[paulette531]

This is NOT about Obama is bad no matter what he does. This is about Obama is NO DIFFERENT than any of the others and has NOT done what he set out to do.

I might add it is SO PREDICTABLE that you DEM LIBS cannot admit when you are WRONG! You got fooled and if you literally have to choke on eating s*** you will never own up to the fact YOU WERE DUPED! LMAO!

[WeHappyFew]

No, I believe the choice on Nov 4 2008 was Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin. Had there also been the write in option of Barney the Dinosaur, McCain/Palin would have placed third. This is the reason why we have President Obama.


Conservatives seem even more obsessed with "winning" than Charlie Sheen to the point of wishing some pyrrhic victory on the country 2012.

[winchesterla]

But is this not double standard? If they will bomb Lybia, when are they going to start bombing Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (that brutally quelled their demonstation). Can we get this answered please.

[WeHappyFew]

Saudi and Bahrain are not part the belt of North African states between Subsaharan Africa and the Mediterranean. Think about that.

[velma179]

How did I know an article such as the one above would bring out the cacophony of "Obama bad, no matter what he does" voices?

You people are nothing, if not predictable.

However, it seems along with your scorn, you also are still engaged in the imaginary world view, fed to you by countless reiterations of just one point: we lost an election and we are mad.

Okay -- now a fact. This isn't a war. Check this out by asking your Congress member(s). The US is not going to remain in the first position for more than absolutely necessary -- we have the best artillery for taking out facilities that allow Qaddafi's forces to bomb their own country. We are not fighting the aforementioned forces, we are not at war with Qaddafi -- we are securing the playing field so the people who want him gone in THEIR COUNTRY (not his!) have a fair chance to succeed.

Thinking "this" is like "that" (as in Iraq before to Libya now) without understanding the facts is not going to give you an objective opinion. Oh yeah and just hating the guy who happens to be POTUS is also not going to do anything to help a situation, or remotely hurt him, but that hate, it kills your own soul.

[tsigili]

Huge mistake. Now we will be fighting wars on 3 fronts in the mideast, none of which, are we winning.

You cannot defeat religious fanaticism, without total eradication.

[sjc_1]

This is dictatorship, we wanted that loon to leave but his reaction was predictable.

[Zann-Zel]

You cannot defeat religious fanaticism, without total eradication.
-------------
Total eradication? And WHICH religion would you totally eradicate? The Islamic people? or The Christians? Or maybe the Jews...by the way that's already been tried - and Failed!

[Naughty_Victorians1]

Well in my humble opinion Obama ought to be slapped in the face by Mr Paul for lying to the American people about every thing.

Now I truly wish that KKK was in power to clean the house from foreign corrupt elements in our government system.

[Naughty_Victorians1]

We need a modern day Hitler...Had the Hitler succeeded in his endeavor we would not be seeing these Zionist wars time and time again...

[GrannyCares]

IS THIS WHY OBAMA IS INSISTENT THAT THE CURRENT ALLIED EFFORT IN LIBYA IS NOT DESIGNED TO 'OUST Gadhafi'??????


http://www.hapblog.com/2011/03/who-hell-do-you-think-your-are.html

[skithebumps]

Pres. Bush - We have to go to war in Iraq because Huseein is a bad man and a tyrant.

Senator Obama - I'm opposed to going to war in Iraq on these grounds.

Pres. Obama - We have to go to war in Libya because Qaddafi is a bad man and a tyrant.

Nobel Prize Committee - Hey, wait a minute, didn't we give this guy the Nobel Peace Prize?

American people - W-T-F?

[samXXkiley]

coucou,
"""""This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought," Obama said """"
.......
dans l'int?r?t du monde et surtout de la r?gion, cette intervention ne doit pas "durer" longtemps, ni prendre de l'ampleur,
cette intervention est men?e sous la tutelle des nations Unies, et le conseil de s?curit?, ces deux institutions doivent superviser et veiller pour empecher tout d?bordement, c'est une intervention de "secours" et non une guerre,
il faut esp?rer que la raison l'emporte,
et que Khadafi r?alise, qu'il est entrain de faire subir un calvaire ? son peuple, ? cause de son entetement et son ?go?sme.
..........
in the interest of the world and especially in the area, this intervention should not "take"long, or grow,
this procedure is conducted under the supervision of United Nations and the Security Council, these two institutions should supervise and ensure to prevent any overflow, it is a response of "relief" and not a war
It is hoped that reason will prevail,
and that Gaddafi realizes that he is actually doing to undergo an ordeal to his people, because of his stubbornness and selfishness.
"au revoir"

[greco99-2009]

We should be dedicating at least this many resources to the disaster still unfolding in Japan.

This nuclear disaster is a tragedy that is still difficult for some to understand.

We need to mobilize all available resources as soon as possible.

We must take proactive steps, preposition equipment, boron. We need C-130s in Japan, firefighter planes, detection equipment...

The plutonium that is currently detectable in the US will last for many generations. The contamination is still arriving, plumes from the big explosions have not yet hit, and the plants are not secure.

Americans we are getting directly hit by what is vastly worse than the dirty bombs we heard so much about. And, this could get much worse.

At this time, for most regular Americans and for future generations - Libya is a sideshow,...