printAs Dr. Johnson said, “There is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea.” Indeed, louse or flea — Obama is as much of a pest as was Bush. Still, in centralizing power in the executive branch, Obama may have surpassed Bush the younger. Here’s the latest in the annals of the Imperial Presidency (via BBC):
US President Barack Obama has secretly authorised covert assistance to rebels seeking to overthrow Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, US media reports say.
He recently signed a document known as a “finding”, allowing support to the rebel groups, Reuters news agency and ABC News said.
Such “findings” are a common way for the president to authorise covert operations by the CIA.
The CIA and White House have both declined to comment on the reports. … The New York Times, citing American officials, said on Wednesday that the CIA has had operatives on the ground in Libya for several weeks. They are said to be gathering intelligence for air strikes and making contact with the forces fighting Col Gaddafi.
With the “rebels” in retreat, BHO will have to double his efforts in the Libyan theatre to avoid looking like he’s losing. Libya is about legacy more than Iraq and Afghanistan, wars Bush began.
Perhaps you’ve noticed this, but no sooner does the question of limits on presidential power intrude into the debate than the pundits and pols, who exist in symbiosis, start yammering about the top dog’s obligation to demonstrate “leadership.” “The American people,” say media elites, “want a strong leader.”
If they do, then they’re dumb. “Leadership” is presidential overreach euphemized.
Kneecap this president. Politically, that is.
UPDATE: I closed a blog post that “Cindy” responded to. So here below is her missive. As you can see, Cindy equates my feelings toward the American state with my feelings toward America the country. I would hope that the US is more than its pols, pundits, and foreign policy:
Cindy
2011/03/30 at 5:40 pm:
“Were you alive when Pan AM 103 exploded over the skies of Lockerbie Scotland? If you hate America, why are you living here? Leave! Go! Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on on the way out.”
UPDATE II (March 31): Watching the “rebels” on PBS, it’s hard to ignore the blood-curdling harangues of “Allahu Akbar” emitted by our buddies, bless them. Secular democracy rising.
Whose in charge of the rebels, anyway? Luke Skywalker? Admiral Ackbar? What exactly do they want if anything aside from taking out Qaddafi? It’s nice to clarify this sort of thing before one thinks about sending in the CIA to do the spook thang.
“Cindy” has a partially correct notion about Pan Am 103 – that is, if Libya was criminally liable for the attack in 1988, it would be a casus belli. But considering that the US has taken financial settlement, sent ambassadors, and allowed 22 years to intervene, it is absurd to bring it up NOW as a casus belli any more than the actions of the Bey of Tripoli in 1801 (which Jefferson and Congress responded to) would serve as a casus belli for 2011.
Even more absurd is to go to war to stop events that MIGHT happen in the future that were not happening such as Saddam Hussein’s mushroom clouds and Libya’s “genocide”. Heck, Paraguay MIGHT attack us in the year 2478 so that provides us an excuse to bomb it today!!
The American people are only about 50% in favor of this war which is amazing considering how they usually are 90% at the beginning of a war (only to recognize the idiocy later on) – so, in that sense, they are more non-interventionist than the media/punditry/politicians that are exercising their global “leadership” of the EMPIRE towards bankruptcy.
“Cindy” is pathetic, however, to equate WARMONGERING with PATRIOTISM.
Libyan forces will never defeat NATO Forces and can’t win the war against NATO forces so they should be withdraw their forces.
Is Cindy’s last name “McCain” by any chance? That would explain a lot!
By reaching a settlement with Ghadaffi in 2004 the US has forfeited any further claims in relation to the Lockerbie bombing for all eternity. Digging Lockerbie up now as a pretext for war is not only illegal, it’s also deeply immoral.
Still if Cindy is so itching for a fight how about we give her an AK47 with a ticket to Benghazi? Seeing how the war is going for them, the “rebels” are going to need all the help they could get.
It looks like Cindy may have some anger issues. I hope it’s not because of her having family members caught up in the vice-grip of US vs the world. Our President has made the worst mistake a sitting president could ever make. He told the recognized head of another country to step down and give his country to ?. The President of Libya told him, not only ‘No’, but ‘Hell NO’ President Obama now has to back up his threat. The CIA normally takes a troop with them (Black Ops) to do the dirty work. What do you bet there aren’t already ‘troops on the ground’ in Libya?
This common equivocation of Globo-Cop with Patriotism by sillies like Cindy is obnoxious. I wish you would have deleted it and spared your readers another lesson in the deplorable state of political discourse.
I am happy there are a few citizens left with your courage and tenacity. Someone show Cindy the door, she was just leaving. Or should be…
Ah I remember the dark days of 2004 and 2005 when “Cindy”s and people like her were everywhere, assaulting reasonable, calm speech and discussion everywhere
So what will the Law of Unintended Consequences yield after going down this road?
Will Obama pull a Nixon and run a secret war or secret missions in Libya? Of course, I’m referring to Nixons secret bombing campaigns in Cambodia and Laos. Am i way off base here?
I agree with Milos – “Cindy” (McCain??) should go over with an Ak-47 and join the rebels.
Those who want to improve people’s souls should preach, not pass moral prohibitions (WAR on Drugs). Those who wish to liberate and democratize primative lands should go over and do so (WAR on Libya = “Kinetic Military Action”). Those who want to “help the poor” are free to do so (WAR on poverty). It is the collectivist compulsion of the whole country that is repulsive.
Greg, as an interesting piece of trivia Obama likes to use the phrase “let me be clear about…”. And of course Nixon was famous for “Let me make this perfectly clear…”. So yes I’m willing to bet he has secret wars going on in Libya and elsewhere.
As a side note Caroline Glick had an interesting column on the situation in Syria. Her site is:
http://carolineglick.com/