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Taliban 2.0? Obama Considers Arming Rebels

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Posted on Mar 30, 2011
Still from an ABC News video

Asked about the possibility that the U.S. would deliver weapons to Libyan rebels, President Obama said, “It’s fair to say that if we wanted to get weapons into Libya we probably could. We’re looking at all our options at this point.” Obama also said that until Moammar Gadhafi’s inner circle indicates that the dictator is ready to step down, “we’re going to keep on applying pressure.”

When asked if he would be satisfied if Gahafi escaped prosecution by a war crimes tribunal, Obama said “that’s not going to be my decision, alone.”

Clearly we’ve come a long way from a no-fly zone.

Sending arms to our favored fighters carries a particular stigma, since that strategy hasn’t always worked out so well.  —PZS


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photoshock's avatar

By photoshock, April 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm Link to this comment

Who was it that said, “those who do not learn from
history are doomed to repeat it?” This seems to be the
course for President Obama, in the Middle East.

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By Cliff Carson, April 1, 2011 at 2:38 am Link to this comment

get real1

Sincerely do I hope that when you copied that quote in my comment that you didn’t on purpose copy just part of it.

Here it is in its entirety.  Readers do you think the full statement yields a much different meaning than the snippet getreal1 posted?  GetReal, I won’t say shame on you unless you omitted the meaningful words on purpose.  What say you?

“We cannot afford to let our lives be governed by people who use us like the cattle in the field,we have to take control and put a stop to the Despots of this world, even our own - especially those who would claim the status of “Above the Law”.

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getreal1's avatar

By getreal1, April 1, 2011 at 12:42 am Link to this comment

“...we have to take control and put a stop to the Despots of this world,” 

Many commentators express this sentiment in similar words, yet as soon as an international coalition, especially initiated and pushed by Sarkozey and Camron, with Obama later joining in, decide to war against such a despot, there is no end to calling them warmongers. The complainers want justice and peace but don’t want to get involved when the bully on the block beats up people. They want to have it both ways.

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MK Ultra's avatar

By MK Ultra, March 31, 2011 at 8:45 am Link to this comment

Hey, Obomber, why don’t you give ‘em some of those brand new drones?  You know, the ones that can see an entire town (including inside houses) in one pass?  And while you’re at it, you may as well send them Raymond Davis, well, provided he’s not there already.  I’m sure he’s nice and rested and ready to spring into action again.

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By samosamo, March 31, 2011 at 12:57 am Link to this comment

****************

 

Sounds like o is getting his south american and latin american
arms deals mixed up with the Libyans along the lines of runny
buht reagan and olive north.

Maybe o will give the Libyans some nukes to seal the deal.

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By Cliff Carson, March 30, 2011 at 11:00 pm Link to this comment

Our Government, that includes both Democrats and Republicans, are doing the will of those who run the world.

The first thing we the people have to discern is that the Financial Corporations run the World and the War Industry is only too happy to join in.

The Financial Cabal finances both sides of the conflict and the War Industry arms both sides.  Both businesses make fantastic profits and since the have the Governments under their control they dictate the extent of the conflict and the length of it.

Around 1810 the United States decided to kick out the Privately owned National Bank placed by the Financial Barons of the World, the Rothschild Group, who financed the Colonies rebellion and the British effort.  The Interest payment was the authorization to place their Private Bank in the New Nation and control the money supply. In 1810 the U S kicked them out.  As a “get even” they promised the United States that it would be embroiled in a war within two years.  Anybody remember what happened in 1812?  After that war, financed by the same group - again both sides - the Bank was re-established in America.

I looked the other day to see if there were any Nations left without this Financial Group’s Bank managing their currency.  There was five countries left in this world.

War is their business and they have a willing partner in the Military Industrial complex. Just remember their greatest income comes from wars and conflicts. 

As the Voltaire character, Candide, replied to his lifetime teacher when told that his life had been governed by uncontrollable fate “You must till the garden”.

We cannot afford to let our lives be governed by people who use us like the cattle in the field,we have to take control and put a stop to the Despots of this world, even our own - especially those who would claim the status of “Above the Law”.

Isn’t that what Obama has just done in the Libya conflict?  Didn’t I hear him say that “He” would decide what wars to initiate as long as he is President?  Obama claiming intellectual status should have read about Uncle Remus and the “Tar Baby”.

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PatrickHenry's avatar

By PatrickHenry, March 30, 2011 at 8:19 pm Link to this comment

Let Libya’s neighbors arm the rebels.

I want my tax money back here in American fixing American things.

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thebeerdoctor's avatar

By thebeerdoctor, March 30, 2011 at 5:47 am Link to this comment

Strange how so many people critical of George W. Bush’s military interventions now seem to fall all over themselves to justify President Obama’s “police action” in Libya. People even buy into the idea of launching 200 Tomahawk missiles as a means to prevent massacre. I suspect this proves once again, that when it comes to humanity, both liberal and conservative embrace violence as a way to solve problems. The rest of the people in the world bear the brunt of their murderous actions.
There have been and are all kinds of massacres taking place in this world. Many of these are basically off the radar news screen because they do not have the strategic interest of light sweet crude.

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By Dave24, March 30, 2011 at 3:48 am Link to this comment

The no-fly-zone has international support.
Alleged international funding.
Shared international responsibility in terms of militaristic implementation.

Preventing Libyan forces from bombing cities or penetrating homes is one thing;
but fueling a military response (via the rebels themselves ) is another.

The moment we arm the rebels, train the rebels, and/or direct the rebels, it
becomes a full-fledged war, arbitrarily led by the United States.

This whole thing will devolve into endless insanity.

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By Geoph, March 30, 2011 at 2:08 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Just like Obama’s push for more drilling right before the BP spill, he was on the
wrong side of the Libya civil war when he tried fruitlessly to continue selling
military equipment to Libya:
http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Art
icle_2011-03-07-Arming Libya/id-0e1fdbf87b064afa950cbaf73b731b35

He also made the biggest arms deal ever with Saudi Arabia:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11587348

Now he’s trying to get Saudi Arabia to give weapons to Libyan rebels:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/americas-secret-
plan-to-arm-libyas-rebels-2234227.html

Once again, we’re arming all sides of a conflict under the guise of making the
world safer.

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