Libya, as Obama sees it

Here is the clearest statement yet about Obama’s goals in Libya. As The Hill reports, the president is operating within the UN’s defined mission of protecting civilians, but his real goal is to replace Kaddafi with a democratic system. He somehow hopes that the constrained UN mission, which precludes the use of force to bring about regime change, can nevertheless lead to regime change.

For all the neocons’ frustration that the mission is so limited, they must be in heaven that Obama keeps adopting the policies of Bush.

White House: Helping install ‘a democratic system’ is goal in Libya

The White House suggested Tuesday that the mission in Libya is one of regime change despite emphatic statements from President Obama and military brass that the goal is not to remove Moammar Gadhafi from power.

According to a White House readout of a Monday night call between Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two leaders “underscored their shared commitment to the goal of helping provide the Libyan people an opportunity to transform their country, by installing a democratic system that respects the people’s will.”

The term “installing” suggests the goal of regime change.

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for clarification.

From the onset of the strikes against Libya, senior administration officials have said the goal of the strikes is to create an atmosphere where Libyan rebels would be able to oust Gadhafi from power.

Obama has struggled to reconcile the stated U.S. policy of wanting Gadhafi out of power with the UN mission of protecting the Libyan people.

At a press conference in Chile on Monday, Obama said it is “very easy to square our military actions and our stated policies.”

But the president faces an increasingly hostile backlash from Capitol Hill about the specific definition of the mission.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 22, 2011 11:48 AM | Send