Down Memory Lane: The AP Almost Bush-like In Its
…pretty thorough debunking of claims.
Fact check of Obama’s speech
OBAMA: “Our most effective alliance, NATO, has taken command of the enforcement of the arms embargo and no-fly zone. … Going forward, the lead in enforcing the no-fly zone and protecting civilians on the ground will transition to our allies and partners, and I am fully confident that our coalition will keep the pressure on Gadhafi’s remaining forces. In that effort, the United States will play a supporting role.”
THE FACTS: As by far the pre-eminent player in NATO, and a nation historically reluctant to put its forces under operational foreign command, the United States will not be taking a back seat in the campaign even as its profile diminishes for public consumption.
Yee-OUCH! What a catty little ZING!
There’s more where that came from.
UPDATE: The Washington Post does something it’s NEVER done before:
On Libya, where you stand depends on where you sit
…Is the president’s action in Libya consistent with his 2007 statement?
The Facts
Boston Globe reporter Charles Savage (now with the New York Times) asked each presidential candidate a simple question:“In what circumstances, if any, would the president have constitutional authority to bomb Iran without seeking a use-of-force authorization from Congress? (Specifically, what about the strategic bombing of suspected nuclear sites — a situation that does not involve stopping an IMMINENT threat?)”
This was Obama’s full response:
“The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.
“As Commander-in-Chief, the president does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the president would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action.
“As for the specific question about bombing suspected nuclear sites, I recently introduced S.J. Res. 23, which states in part that “any offensive military action taken by the United States against Iran must be explicitly authorized by Congress.” The recent NIE [National Intelligence Estimate] tells us that Iran in 2003 halted its effort to design a nuclear weapon. While this does not mean that Iran is no longer a threat to the United States or its allies, it does give us time to conduct aggressive and principled personal diplomacy aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.”
Obama’s answer is fascinating on several levels…[Complete dissection of Obama’s response]
The Pinocchio Test
This is a tough one to judge on the Pinocchio scale, because it does not involve an outright falsehood. (About our rating scale.) This is more of a flip-flop, since we cannot find much consistency between Obama’s 2007 statement and his current stance on the Libya intervention. So we will, for the first time, award an upside-down Pinocchio, signifying a change in a previously held position. On the Libya war, where you sit is where you stand.
Media, Military Thingies, Morality, Nanny State, People, Politics | tree hugging sister | 
March 29, 2011 7:52 am
Subscribe
A day late and a dollar short, Lame Stream Media.
Am I paranoid, or is O giving US military command to the UN?
He’d like to, Gary. But he’s not quite ready to do that…..yet.
Even with NATO “assuming command”, US personnel remain in charge. That’s just a facade intended to placate the Euroweenies.
Obama=douche bag
Interesting. I think our POTUS has lost his base.