Speaking for myself, I was always for a no-fly zone over Libya.
Coming late, however, the no-fly zone increases the likelihood of our committing ground troops, which is a terrible idea. I want the best for the Libyan people, but more than that, I want a Middle East that is hospitable to U.S. interests. I am not a Citizen of the World. I am a citizen of a specific country–this one.
Consequently, I hated watching the deliberations over the no-fly zone. Our Lilliputian foreign policy meant that we had to beg a permission slip from that expensive thuggocracy known as the United Nations. I am not a citizen of the United Nations and I detest watching my country kow tow to it. Hot Air has great quotes from Senator Marco Rubio on how bad the delayed no-fly zone is for the U.S. (and ultimately the world-the world may diss the U.S., but it always wants us to ride to the rescue like the cowboys sophisticates disdain):
“The United States, quite frankly, looks weak in this endeavor,” said Rubio. “It looks unwilling, and maybe even unable, to act in this capacity….What are we going to do if there’s a bloodbath after this? The president of the United States has specifically said Qaddafi must go, but has done nothing since saying that, except have internal debates about it for a week-and-a half or two.”…
“So our message to the dissidents,” Rubio said, “the people with the bravery to stand up to Muammar Qaddafi, and then the people maybe thinking to stand up to the Iranian regime, and in other places, our message is: ‘You guys go ahead and do this stuff, and if we can ever get the Russians or the Chinese to ever come around, we may or may not join you’?
“Russia and China don’t care about this stuff,” Rubio continued. “They don’t care that Muammar Qaddafi is going to massacre people. So if Russia doesn’t care, and China doesn’t care, and we care but won’t do anything about it, who is it up to – the French?”
This Just In: Qaddafi has declared a ceasefire in the wake of the no-fly zone vote. We don’t know what the future holds for Libya, but it looks like a more prompt no-fly zone might have saved lives. But our president considered it more important to curry favor with the thugs. But how ‘bout that Nicholas Sarkozy? Now, there is a president, citoyens. I’m going to order some French fries to go with my meatless Friday lunch in his honor.