Rubio Says Gaddafi's Ouster Should Be Priority, US Must Retake Lead

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is seeking the support of the upper chamber in authorizing military action to pursue the removal of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi. 

In a letter to Senate leadership, Rubio said he planned to write a resolution that made Gaddafi’s removal a primary goal for U.S. military efforts in Libya. 

“This resolution should also state that removing Muammar Qaddafi from power is in our national interest and therefore should authorize the President to accomplish this goal,” Rubio wrote. “The world is a better place when America is willing to lead and American leadership is required now more than ever.”

Rubio’s letter comes on the heels of a presidential address where Obama reiterated that the U.S. did not consider Gaddafi’s ouster as a measure of success in its humanitarian mission in Libya.