The President warned other Middle Eastern dictators, particularly Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, that they could be next. Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Mr. Obama, hailed the lifting of the "dark tyranny" over Libya after the new government confirmed Muammar Gaddafi had been killed, issuing a warning to other dictators in the Middle East – and particularly Syria – that they could be next.Although Obama did not name Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, it was he Obama had in mind when he said the rule of the iron fist in the Middle East is inevitably coming to an end. Those leaders that try to deny the push for democracy will not succeed, he predicted. Read more ....
Two things are immediately troubling about this statement: 1) the US actively tried to pretend to have nothing to do with the Libyan Kinetic Action, but now is taking all the credit, and 2) this particular President campaigned against "Stupid Wars". Stupid Wars - we have 5 of them. Had six yesterday. All wars are pretty stupid - ask a veteran. Now Mr. Obama is saber rattling and trying to scare Assad? Maybe Iran? If anything, Assad and Mock-mood will cling harder to power and try even harder to stop dissent with violence and guns rather than reform because they've seen exactly what will happen to them if they don't.
And to really sit and analyze a US Foreign Policy "Win" - the death of a world leader, in front of an open microphone, isn't exactly a bright idea. But I think to a President who'll do anything to get another 4 years, pretending that he personally shot Quadaffy means he thinks that he's a better shot than Ronald Reagan.
One last thought - what, exactly, is Democracy in the Middle East? Are you absolutely sure that's a Foreign Policy "win" for the US? I don't, but I can run a couple scenarios in my head, and 98 out of 100 aren't exactly "wins" for the US or Israel. I certainly wouldn't be trumpetting success until I knew for sure that the new guys aren't as bad or worse than the old guys.
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