Obama Was Right In Using Force Against Libya

Wow. President Obama can't please anyone. The right wanted Obama to install a no- fly zone over Libya. And when he did last weekend, nobody in this country was happy. Senator John McCain (R- Arizona) wanted a no-fly zone but when it happened he bithced that it was too late. (L.A. Times story) Liberal congressmen were angry because they weren't notified.

But what is forgotten is that Kadafi explicitly said he would deal with dissent without mercy. And he was slaughtering his people. Is there a national interest here? Yes. The United States must stop genocide if it can. We cannot turn a blind eye like we did before World War II as the Nazis' persecuted the Jews. Of course, there is an economic interest. Yes, I'll admit it. Oil is an economic interest to this country.

President Obama handled this the right way. He got approval from the Arab League. That's amazing. When can you remember Arab nations advocate armed force by Western powers against another Arab nation? Almost never. And there was a real coalition this time. France, and Britain immediately were on board. It's likely that NATO will take over the no-fly zone. This was not the President George W. Bush debacle in Iraq where major countries refused to participate. By getting all this support, this looks like an international effort not the use of force by arrogant Americans. As a result, thousands of lives were saved. Obama should be praised not criticized.