You want to know why? It’s because I don’t know what the heck it is that we’re doing in Libya right now. Are we toppling the government? Are we setting up an effective partition of the country? Are we acting? Reacting? Is there an actual plan, or are we just making this up as we go along? And not only do I not know: neither does anybody else. Including, apparently, the President’s own party leadership, which is just as much in the dark as the rest of us. It’s not helpful that there isn’t a consistent message coming out from the administration, either. The President is playing soccer in Brazil; the Secretary of Defense is being embarrassed by the Russians; and the Secretary of State is… making surreptitious calls to her old leadership PAC, probably. You tell me who’s minding the store right now.
I admit it: I was spoiled by the previous administration… actually, no. I was spoiled by the previous four administrations. Whether I agreed with the various military interventions or not of those administrations, at least we were told about them ahead of time. We had a basic idea of what the goal was, who was in charge, and what we were going to be doing. The plan didn’t always work, but there was a plan. If there’s a plan now, it’d be great if more than three people know what it is.
‘Three’ is me being optimistic, by the way.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
Victoria Coates
Daniel Horowitz
It's Simple
paramedichess Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:43AM EST (link)The plan is to wait and see what happens. If the outcome is good, it will turn out to have been our objective all along. If the outcome is bad, this wasn’t really our operation anyway. The fault lies with the rebels, or the French, or the UN. By refusing to disclose any objectives up front, any outcome can be spun into part of the original plan. It’s like a political game, only with real bombs and dead people.
Nailed it
Jeff Emanuel (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:51AM EST (link)JE
5
Darin_H (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:04AM EST (link)Sadly correct.
A visionary coward says that anger can be power, as long as there’s a victim on TV – Flat Top, Goo Goo Dolls
Obama:
aesthete (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:41AM EST (link)Close enough to take credit for the good that may result, far away enough to run from the results if they’re poor. Inspired leadership, as usual.
The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice – G.K. Chesterton
Obama is not Reagan...
acat (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:44AM EST (link)Obama is a great obfuscator, not a great communicator….
Even Bubba Clinton did better than this.
Mew
——

Caveat Suffragator
I smell some Clintonesque sleight-of-hand going on ...
randy streu (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:47AM EST (link)This is so out of nowhere, so ill-conceived, that the only thing I can think is that our attention is being purposely diverted.
Blogging also at
SLC Republitarian
The Minority Report
The most obvious answer is usually the right answer
Getting_Back_to_Basics Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:49AM EST (link)The longer this goes on without nary a word on the objectives, the more I think you are right.
If you don't have an objective, you are sure to achieve it
YnotNOW (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:47AM EST (link)Then you can just declare victory and go home.
YnotNOW
If not me, who? If not now, when?
If you don't have an objective, you are sure to achieve it
YnotNOW (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:47AM EST (link)Then you can just declare victory and go home.
YnotNOW
If not me, who? If not now, when?
Or another possibility
Getting_Back_to_Basics Tuesday, March 22nd at 10:48AM EST (link)It could be a big wag the dog for Sarkozy! It’s as plausible as any other reason and even slightly less ludicrous than the ideas the president set forth in his letter to Congress last night.
On the 4th day and there is no clear objective. Yes, we know the objective is “limited” (re-elect Sarkozy!) and that’s about all we know. And so what if the action is transitioned to some other guy to lead “in a matter of days”, is that some rationale for spending a half a billion dollars to….do what?
Just look the other way people, nothing to see, nothing to see….
You've hit the nail on the head
Finrod (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:04AM EST (link)I think the Underpants Gnomes are coordinating the Libya actions.
Let’s get down to brass tacks here. How much for the ape?
Even the underpants gnomes
aesthete (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:42AM EST (link)actually had an endgame…
The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice – G.K. Chesterton
Following the Flow
drfredc Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:17AM EST (link)It’s no wonder many folks are confused about what the US is doing in Libya. This is because Obama has us following, not leading. Who’s leading — Europe. Why is Europe leading? Oil AND immigration — although you can expect the immigration issue to barely be discussed.
Europe’s economic well being is intimately tied to Libyan oil. This got them off their duffs and moving. You can expect them to be very aggressive in how the UN approval is interpreted — aka, they’ll take out any opposition to rebel (success) safety. The goal, besides the restoration of ‘normal’ oil flow to stabilize their economies, is to put that oil in the hands of those rebels who might otherwise be immigrants to Europe, preferably via some form of democracy, perhaps via pathways developed by Bush and Iraq..
This action gains the European leaders street cred with their rapidly expanding immigrant populations. The loose thread is how a democratic Libya might further tip other Arab nations to that direction. This will give some Arab nations pause to be part of the cause….
Fine print — Muslim/Shari dominated democracy shouldn’t necessarily be confused with US democracy where there are strong protections against religious and sex discrimination… At best, it may be one step forward and a couple sideways… But then the US started with slavery… so future evolution is possible.
If the US being part of this parade isn’t confusing enough, one might also toss in how this action to stabilize oil is also an unspoken admission by Europe that green energy is a failure. Of course this also explains why Obama is happy with a role in the back of the parade…
Always, Fred C
We're reacting
Steven (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:26AM EST (link)- to others’ reactions.
We have no interests at stake, and we have no assurance that the people we’re helping will not be out to get us next.
There’s nothing quite so exhilerating as being shot at… and missed. Winston Churchill
R2P, Moe.
Veronica (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:29AM EST (link)Why isn’t anyone mentioning the UN? Is it *that* taboo?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on us. – St. Augustine
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And Here's What Master Of The Obvious Opines...
Repair_Man_Jack (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 11:34AM EST (link)http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/151041-key-dem-attacks-on-libya-are-because-of-oil
Mr. Obama is pretending that an economic “recovery” is underway when he knows damn well that the banking system is just blowing smoke up the shredded *** of what’s left of that economy – James Howard Kunstler
And the Leader of the Clueless...
donnybrooke Tuesday, March 22nd at 3:10PM EST (link)http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/150907-nader-obama-should-be-impeached-for-war-crimes
Sheesh! Who wuda’ thunk?
“Journalists were never intended to be the cheerleaders of a society, the conductors of applause, the sycophants. Tragically, that is their assigned role in authoritarian societies, but not here — not yet.”
– Chet Huntley -
I dont know what we are doing in Libya
Goldwater_Conservative (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 12:12PM EST (link)but I do know its ensuring a GOP presidential victory in 2012. The politics of this are so bad that no one is going to be left defending Obama, not even MSNBC.
The Clintons have Rope-a-Doped the Dope.
Tbone (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 1:33PM EST (link)Obama really is not a very bright guy. I mean really, has anyone ever heard him say anything that sounded smart that he wasn’t reading?
This is Hillary’s doing knowing full well that this little undefined expedition is going to end badly for Barry. No one down ticket will touch him with a 10 foot pole after this. Even his black brothers will start pointing out he’s half white.
As I have said all along, she’s gone this summer and its primary time for Barry.
PS Barry, don’t go on no fishin’ trips with any of Soros’ buddies.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
I'm Glad I Don't Believe in Conspiracy Theories
donnybrooke Tuesday, March 22nd at 1:35PM EST (link)But if I did, I might think the President is not acting in the best interests of the United States and is attempting to cause so much
trouble both domestically and internationally that the USA will never recover from the combined crises.
Good thing I don’t believe in conspiracy theories.
“Journalists were never intended to be the cheerleaders of a society, the conductors of applause, the sycophants. Tragically, that is their assigned role in authoritarian societies, but not here — not yet.”
– Chet Huntley -
My Theory Is Even More E-VIL
Repair_Man_Jack (Diary) Tuesday, March 22nd at 1:38PM EST (link)Here goes. Sarkozy and Cameron button-hole Madame Clinton. They ask her just how valuable French and British participation in “The Good War” raging in Afghanistan remains to President Obama. She relays these “concerns” to The Official Caddy of The President of The United States. Air strikes commence soon thereafter.
Mr. Obama is pretending that an economic “recovery” is underway when he knows damn well that the banking system is just blowing smoke up the shredded *** of what’s left of that economy – James Howard Kunstler
Nah, it's MUCH simpler
Adjoran (Diary) Wednesday, March 23rd at 1:14AM EST (link)Obama figured he needed some foreign crisis and intervention to appear tough and Presidential and ensure his reelection. Everybody hates Ghaddafi’s guts, so he seemed a likely target.
BUT you say, it’s a bumbling, incoherent, leaderless mess! It won’t help Obama at all!
Well, yeah. But that’s just because Obama and his team are a bunch of bumbling idiots who haven’t a clue what they are doing, and are too arrogant to bring in anyone who might have a clue or pick up the phone and ask Dubya or even Billy what to do.
He’s screwing it up, like he has screwed up everything else.
Obama goal is to spend down our military.
grandma Wednesday, March 23rd at 1:15AM EST (link)That is the only clear objective here.
Pretext for civilian army
jeffex11 Wednesday, March 23rd at 6:23AM EST (link)I believe Obama needs a pretext to bring forward one of his campaign promises . One that had many people scratching their heads. The promise of a civilian army. Equally funded and trained as the regular army.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s
He has to weaken all branches of our OLD SCHOOL military in order to pull off the creation of his loyalist new civilian army. The tactic is quite simple. You make like in one service much worse while you create a taxpayer funded NEW civilian service that has greater pay , benefits , and seems to act with common sense.
With the old school services you create irrational ROE’s and deployment after deployment. Breaking up families by overextending our services. They look at the new army as how it should be in military life and welcome the change.
This is planned psychological warfare on YOUR OWN PEOPLE …IMO.
Sadly, I think you are correct jeffex11.
grandma Wednesday, March 23rd at 12:42PM EST (link)He has been perpetrating psychological warfare since he first became a senator. He and his minions continue to do so. I want to know whose puppet he is.
Ultimate snakeoil salesman
jeffex11 Wednesday, March 23rd at 6:12AM EST (link)Obama is the front man for the greatest CON in world history. The intentional destruction and sabotage of Capitalism from within America by it’s own government and bureaucracy. So they can claim to the sheeple that it failed all by itself and a new system is needed. Re-branded Marxism/socialism as “state Capitalism” to fool the sheeple!
.Libya is just a diversion to keep the pundits busy on TV while they make the new batch of snake oil.
The DOJ just changed it’s web site to reflect a global Marxist adherence to law . Obama himself put a finger in the air looking for a reaction from the sheeple to his ignoring the constitution …once again. Hmmm no one in the streets …….no anti-war protests……no calls for exits strategies……So what if Cusinich talks of impeachment …..who’s gonna’ impeach the first black president and endure that RACIST wrath!
Obama is in RIO and America scratches it’s head. Obama golfs as Japan crumbles and America scratches it’s head.
People just don’t see that Libya gives Obama a diversion and his tactic as someone explained in the comments gives him a win win . Take credit if it fails and walk away unscathed if it fails .
Meanwhile the true Marxist plans are full steam ahead. The window of opportunity to collapse our economy and ultimately claim Capitalism failed is closing . Some in the conservative media have shown America all the Marxist Trojan horses ushered in to America on Jan 20th 2009 . While they slowly hunt them down Obama and his progressives are 2 step ahead .
Libya is a fire that Obama knows will need to be put out . He diverts the firemen and police …..the concerned citizen and the conservative media …toward figuring this war out while he continues to destroy America. The Marxification of America is in high gear and rolling on.
Again, on target.
grandma Wednesday, March 23rd at 12:47PM EST (link)He’s been placed here to conflagrate the world.