House Republicans: Libya mess reflects failed U.S. policy

[Omaha Steve]

Source: USA Today

WASHINGTON — House Republicans blamed the rushed evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Libya on poor leadership by the Obama administration and said Saturday's withdrawal will complicate any plans to restore order there.

The top Republicans on the House committees that oversee foreign affairs and intelligence noted that while they were grateful the diplomats are now safe, the crisis at hand reflects poor leadership by the White House.

California Rep. Ed Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, who leads the House Intelligence panel, said it never should have gotten to this point.

"This deteriorating security posture is the same scenario playing out across Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Eurasia," Rogers said. "This is what happens when the United States is not engaged and lacks a clear foreign policy that includes strong U.S. leadership."

FULL story and video at link.



In this July 13, 2014, file image taken from video by The Associated Press, smoke rises from the direction of Tripoli airport in Tripoli, Libya. The United States shut down its embassy in Libya on July 26, 2014.
(Photo: AP)


Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/07/26/libya-embassy-evacuate/13212767/

[Scootaloo]

1. Hard to argue, honestly...

The US has been performing policy as if it were still an ascendant superpower in a world of war-torn recovering nations and baseline post-colonial states. We could have - in fact should have a very harsh and thorough examination of our foreign policy, scour away all the shit and clutter that is still defining it from the fifties, and try to renew our position and rectify the shit we've messed up.

However this would involve talking about Iraq and Afghanistan in addition to Libya, so i can't imagine hte Republicans want to actually have that discussion.

[jwirr]

4. That would be a good step but we would need to talk about not just 3 countries but the entire ME.

[BenFranklin99]

14. Republicans blame Obama for everything

As usual, the Republicans bitch and whine, but have NO useful suggestions. We have seen a pattern here - places where there has never been a unified country with a history of democracy fragment into ethnic groups / tribes when the dictator is deposed. Typically, these dictators are mass murdering monsters with narcissistic personalities. The alternative seems to be chaos growing out of tribal feuds. Nobody, certainly no Republican, has come up with a successful plan C for this common dictator versus tribal anarchy scenario.

[emsimon33]

17. Excellent point!

Welcome to DU!

[bemildred]

15. You have to consider the reasons given too:

"This is what happens when the United States is not engaged and lacks a clear foreign policy that includes strong U.S. leadership."

I.e. "we need to wade in deeper and be even more arrogant".

[Historic NY]

2. Holy Benghazi...

is wrong with them. Things are so bad they had to be trucked out as the militias blew up the airport and 90% of the aircraft . I remember a time when Bush cut and ran when they shutter the Tripoli embassey because it was too dangerous. Was that leadership?

[philip.chinery]

3. They decided to assassinate the Libyan leader's daughter

They created this mess.

[Third Doctor]

5. Let me guess

The Repugs (mosty chickenhawks) mostly want to put boots on the ground in Libya. But if the POTUS did that they would turn on him and gain political favor from the voters. The ME was more stable before the Iraq invasion but worse now. Whose to blame for this mess? The Repugs.

[kelliekat44]

7. Everything was more stable before the invasion of Iraq...even marriages. The war took its toll.

Obama has been the man for the times IMHO.

[kelliekat44]

6. Yeah, better to leave them there to be killed so we could have another issue to throw at Obama.

[Swede Atlanta]

8. Chickens in the GOP are always the same.......

First of all, the GOP criticizes and tries to create a scandal out of the killing of diplomats, including our ambassador, in Benghazi because we should have had better security.

Here the Administration takes the prudent step of evacuating Americans from the embassy in Tripoli due to the security situation - i.e. taking steps to protect the lives of our American diplomats.

So BO is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

After the Arab Spring there was a groundswell in several countries to rid themselves of long-time dictators. Libya was one of those. The U.S. supported those attempting to oust Gaddafi but let our European allies take the lead. There was never going to be a guarantee that the Libyans could hold this together. This is the same situation you have in Iraq.

Ultimately we have to leave it to the people in the region to sort out their differences. If they decide they would rather kill one another off rather than compromising and creating a stable society that gives their citizens a chance for better lives, that is their decision to make. We cannot be the world's policeman.

[jamzrockz]

11. Sometime you just do the right thing

instead of using middle of the approach way. Because now, the anti war people are pissed at you, same with the pro war people.

Just like in the Spike Lee movie, do the right thing.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. I am going to take a wild guess

That they neither presented an alternative solution, nor were asked to provide one, right? The GnoP has become almost entirely defined by their opposition to all things Obama. They have spent almost no time (if any) during the past years detailing an alternative to anything they furiously fought against- which, would, in a sane world (with more people voting), mean that they would be deemed unfit to continue to hold any kind of office, let alone Presidency but we know otherwise. Another thing that continues to befuddle me is that most of the American public seems to disapprove of President Obama specifically while they support his policies and oppose Republican policies. Why he is so "toxic" to so many people? Racism?

[MisterP]

10. pshh, all we did was pound them with over a hundred rockets and support AQ there

that cannot have anything to do with unrest! Jeane Kirkpatrick said so, and as we all know a good Dem supports Kirkpatrick as much as Warren!

[LoisB]

12. I want Mike Rogers to go to Libya and personally restore order.

[daleo]

13. Where are the people now, who were so keen on this now?

I guess they are busy with the Ukraine disaster, cheerleading a new adventure.

[C Moon]

16. It's all falling into the GOP's hands so nicely, isn't it? Because the US has a memory problem.

[Orsino]

18. It's a petrolitatian crisis demanding swift action. n/t