By Roger Madon
Last night President Obama stated that the reason for starting the Libyan campaign was to halt the humanitarian crisis that was inevitable without our intervention. Let’s call this Bush light.
If there was one message last night that President Obama enjoyed giving was to explain to the American people that he was not George Bush and that his 2002 condemnation of the contemplated Iraq War when he was an Illinois state senator hasn’t change one iota. And in fact, when presented with similar choices, he, President Obama has handled it differently. So how is this foreign entanglement going to be different?
President Obama explains.
First this is not a campaign for “regime change.” Second it will not cost over a trillion dollars and thousands of lives, both American and Libyan. Third, America will not go it alone but rather will be part of a coalition, sanctioned by the UN with a limited objective and of which it will not be its leader.
Every strategy has risks and what President Obama failed to explain to the America people is one risk that Moammar Gadhafi may survive this conflict by the creation of a divided Libya involved in a protracted civil war in which the coalition provides military and humanitarian supplies for years. And you can guess who will be leading that particular outcome and its concomitant costs. Another risk is that the coalition, along with the United States loses interest in the whole matter leaving Gadhafi to wait it out, which has been his game during his 42 years of brutal dictatorship. Meanwhile, a vengeful, enraged, perhaps a crazed Gadhafi terrorizes the various nations of the coalition, America included, for the pain it has caused him.
President Obama wants desperately not to be George W. Bush but having entered into this Libyan campaign he will experience a fundamental truth: War has its own dynamic, its own destiny. President Obama will rail at the Gods but it will be George W. Bush all over again.