Libya: The Hard-Sell is Coming

Libya: The Hard-Sell is Coming

New York Times op-ed piece by Obama, Sarkozy, and Cameron

Tony Cartalucci
Prisonplanet.com
April 15, 2011

When presidents are writing editorials in newspapers a hard-sell is just around the corner. Judging by the recent tripartite op-ed in the New York Times by Obama, Sarkozy, and Cameron regarding Libya, the hard-sell is most likely a protracted air campaign above Libya with an ever increasing ground presence below possibly leading to an all out invasion. Clearly the operation in Libya will exceed the “days or weeks, but not months” we were told it would take.

Predictably the UNSC r.1973 mandate of “protecting civilians” has “mission crept” into providing air cover for armed militants as they fight towards Tripoli – militants now openly proclaiming their allegiance to Al Qaeda. The CIA and MI6 are also admittedly on the groundassisting the rebels and attempting to bring down Qaddafi’s regime – violating entirely the contrived UNSC r.1973 that defined the intervention in the first place. Further violations come in the form of US calls to arm the rebels and allowing arms to flow into eastern Libya from Egypt. Hillary Clinton said she believed arming rebel groups was legal under UNSC r.1973. Of course, as Adolf Hitler has reminded us, everything is legal when you are the one writing the laws.

Now we are being told via this tripartite op-ed that it is unacceptable for Qadaffi to remain in power and that the operation cannot end until he is removed. Considering the verified lies surrounding UNSC r.1973′s premise and the fact that the resolution has turned out to be protecting and aiding known terrorists, we should be hesitant to accept any expansion upon this disingenuous foundation. We must remember that when asked about reports of Qaddafi brutalizing his people with air strikes, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen both responded “We’ve seen no confirmation whatsoever.”

Likewise, the International Institute of Strategic Studies conceded during a questioning session regarding military options in Libya that stories of mercenaries and the intentional targeting of civilian populations were not only unverified, but highly unlikely given that Qaddafi was well aware such actions would only further invite foreign intervention.