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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Katelew who wrote (419713)	4/3/2011 11:25:17 AM
From: Paul Smith	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793883

the US can remind all the despots in the world that we have certain values as well as supreme military muscle. Considering that the risk to our military personnel is minimal, I see this as a great opportunity to remind the world of who we are. But does our approach accomplish that? We seem timid, perhaps for good reason. We'll use air power but will take every opportunity to tell everybody that we will do nothing else and that it isn't really the USA, it is a coalition or NATO or the UN. We seem to want people to believe that we are just part of a team and not really leading anything....even when the truth might be different. And our "values" seem to be applied very unevenly. We don't seem to want the world to get the message that you have put forth in the passage above.

To: Katelew who wrote (419713)	4/3/2011 2:44:31 PM
From: KLP	Respond to of 793883

I think most Americans would support the efforts for freedom in the ME, IF we as a government, actually knew the rebellion was actually planned by citizens, rather than the uber strict "religious" mullahs. One Iran is plenty enough to cope with. It just seems like everyone should be embracing these efforts for change in the ME.

To: Katelew who wrote (419713)	4/3/2011 3:02:33 PM
From: Brumar89	1 Recommendation Respond to of 793883

The timing is right for this eruption in the ME. It's a confluence of factors that weren't in place ten years ago, not the least of which is the freer flow of information. I heard a commentator say that 15 years ago, the only information available to the general public in most of the ME was state sponsored propaganda. Since then, the ME has slowly become more wired to the outside world in spite of their governments' efforts to suppress this. An inflection point was reached as the public became aware of opportunites being denied them. I find this optimistic. As are the hopes that a younger generation will be more modern, enlightened. We don't know the changes won't be for the worse. The new media is also embraced by the most retrograde elements in the Muslim world. Qaradawi (that's Qaradawi of Islamonline, author of 80 books, and host of a tv show with an audience of 40 million) returning to Egypt is too similar to Khomenei's return to Iran for me to be optimistic. TWT though. It just seems like everyone should be embracing these efforts for change in the ME. Even if one opposes the military intervention in Libya. I happen to be one who supports the intervention. I'm from a military family and like it when the US can remind all the despots in the world that we have certain values as well as supreme military muscle. Considering that the risk to our military personnel is minimal, I see this as a great opportunity to remind the world of who we are. So far we have shown the world we don't have much resolve at top imo. Whats with all the retreat from power going on in the Obama administration ... saying Gadaffi must to, but not making regime change a goal .... pulling our air support at at crucial point: U.S. ending Libya air assault at crucial time U.S. withdrawing strike aircraft from Libya Stories Giving Gadhafi the boot? US says no boots involved cbsnews.com What's with hedging about whether we will put people on the ground ... after we've already done so? Or with hedging about arming the rebels when we're already doing that? I have doubts about Obama's having the will to overthrow Gadaffi ... and about NATO without the US's ability to do it.