As everyone who isn’t living on a desert island knows at this point, Libya is in chaos, with hundreds of people killed and probably thousands injured by their own government.
Actually, pretty much the whole Middle East is in chaos, but right now the situation in Libya is the worst. Tin pot dictator Muammar Gaddafi turned his security forces and hired goons against the Libyan people, and they did so–firing machine guns and shooting from helicopters, and dropping bombs from fighter planes. It’s a full fledged massacre, according to all reports.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement a few hours ago:
The world is watching the situation in Libya with alarm. We join the international community in strongly condemning the violence in Libya. Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives have been lost, and with their loved ones. The government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal rights of the people, including the right to free expression and assembly. Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed. We are working urgently with friends and partners around the world to convey this message to the Libyan government.
It’s not a very strong statement, but I assume Hillary just said what the President asked her to say. Meanwhile, our fearless leader hasn’t said boo. I do hear he’s *concerned* though.
On Friday, Obama’s new press secretary, Jay Carney, said the President was “deeply concerned.”
“I am deeply concerned by reports of violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries, and wherever else it may occur,” the president said in a statement read to reporters by White House press secretary Jay Carney.
“The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests and to respect the rights of their people,” Obama said.
Yesterday, the Obama administration was “gravely concerned.”
In the administration’s strongest statement on the escalating violence in Libya, the State Department said that it was “gravely concerned” about the reports and that the number of deaths was unknown because of a lack of access to many parts of the country by news organizations and human rights groups.
Philip J. Crowley, the State Department spokesman, said that the United States has raised “strong objections about the use of lethal force” with several senior Libyan officials, including Musa Kusa, the foreign minister.
“Libyan officials have stated their commitment to protecting and safeguarding the right of peaceful protest,” Mr. Crowley said in a statement. “We call upon the Libyan government to uphold that commitment and hold accountable any security officer who does not act in accordance with that commitment.”
Okay, that’s nice, but they’re not doing it. Now what?
Obama also had UN Ambassador Susan Rice appear on “Meet the Press” to tell us that he’s “very concerned” about Libya.
The administration is “very concerned” about reports of Libyan forces gunning down civilians, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday.
Okay, we get that Obama concerned–very concerned, deeply concerned, even gravely concerned. When are we going to hear something directly from him? When is he going to call for a meeting of the UN Security Council to decide on some kind of action? Can’t UN forces be sent in to restore peace?
When are we going to get some leadership from this man? Does he ever get angry? Does anything outrage him? Does he ever get beyond being *concerned*?
Anger is an energy, Mr. President.
Comments
52 responses to “Open Thread: Obama is *concerned* about Libya”
Anderson Cooper is talking to people on the ground in Libya.
Because I admire him, I was about to watch the Chris Matthews one hour special about Bill Clinton.
But Chris made a brief appearance on Rachel’s show to promote the piece and indicated, as she questioned the WH reluctance to openly speak out about the mideast uprisings, the following:
“Bill Clinton is a politician of the world. He is basically one who cares about politics as such. Barack Obama cares about people. You can see it in his manner and the way he approaches issues.”
I almost lost it. As much as I admire Bill Clinton, an hour of Chris Matthews is an hour out of my life I will never get back. The man is an utter fool. A slobbering idiot whose chief aim is to be accepted by those wielding the power. If Barack Obama “cares about people” I have yet to see it. How he can characterize Obama as a man who cares ranks right up there with his “pants peeing” comments when George W. Bush parachuted onto the deck of that carrier and declared “mission accomplished” while sporting a codpiece!
Chris Matthews is an @sshole and why Bill Clinton let him anywhere near him is a mystery.
OMG! Obama cares about people? I just had a flashback to the primaries and listening to moronic Obots claiming Obama cared about people.
Please, someone put Chris Matthews permanently out to pasture.
LOL, Chris Matthews is just obsessed with the Clintons bc Hillary pushed for DeDe Myers to be press secretary and not him.
The special shows the work he does for CGI and him helping other dems. The special is bringing up the primaries and questioning why Bill went hard at Obama.
Are you watching Tweety’s special on Bill, Jill? If so, thanks for watching so I don’t have to! 😉
I give the special 7 to 8. It starts out when he is leaving the whitehouse and all the things he has done since the whitehouse. He has done a lot. They show him in his element which is helping people all over the world. There were a couple of comments by Matthews that were kind of a jab at Bill. They talked about the primaries and showed his fairytale comment and the SC debate where Obama said “He was not sure if he was running against Bill or Hillary”. They talked to the real friends of the Clintons. They talk about Hillary forming her foundation like Bill did and that is where their hearts are. They talked about Chelsea and her wedding and how proud Bill was of her.
The funny parts are the Kevin Spacey impression of Bill and when Bill shakes some lady’s hand she screams “Oh my God he touched by hand, I can’t believe it” and she is just so happy.
Thanks for the rundown. I actually did catch the part where Hillary talked about her future foundation work. Oddly enough somehow I managed to tune in right when that part came on and only see that part lol! Anyhow, that made me very happy to hear.
The UN Security Council is going to meet tomorrow at 9AM. Because people being massacred isn’t an emergency and rich people need to finish their vacation.
My son is watching this show on the presidency on History Channel, they had some clips of Obama and his man Regie Love. It starts at 1:00 minute, you make find it interesting.
Regie Love is Obama’s main assistant…if you did not know. His number one yes man.
I loathe Obama. I am as attentive to him as I was to Bush.
In other words: not at all.
lol
Pat, you did not click the link? It was my attempt at a joke, it is the last scene from The Coneheads, where David Spade is agreeing with the Conehead president…You know, major brown nose action…
Sorry Mink! I thought you were serious and chose to ignore the link altogether. And I loved the Coneheads when they were on!
Minx: ROFL, Coneheads…thanks for that!
Okay, here is some sad news….
‘Multiple fatalities’ as earthquake hits NZ | The Sun |News
WRAPUP 3-Gaddafi defiant in face of mounting revolt | Reuters
Here is the latest on Libya from UK Reuters.
Obama probably wants to apply for the libya opening till something bigger comes up.
And he already has that Swiss bank account in place!
I hate all these people. All I have left is Colin Firth. And he probably votes conservative.
No, not at all. Colin Firth’s very political, he’s been pretty vocal about immigration and the rights of asylum seekers. He even paid for a TV study on whether Conservatives have something biologically wrong with them. Lol
Gigi’s Revolution (A first person’s view from a young women’s perspective in Egypt’s revolution.)
Thanks BB. Obama’s an anti war guy, a decisive fly swatter, a Reagan reproduction, a ‘concerned’ citizen of the world, a predator drone president.
What he’s not is a leader. He couldn’t draw a line in the sand on behalf of ordinary people even if you made it a connect-the-dots diagram for him.
Neat song pick!
I wanted to call him a “concern troll.” He’s always so measured. He really doesn’t have any emotions that I can tell.
Except irritation if someone criticizes him.
I typed concern troll too at first LOL
I agree. A little passion now and then wouldn’t hurt. Hell, I show more animation watching a Red Sox game!
There has to be some happy medium. Boehner crying over a basket of kittens is too much but Obama shows little if any emotion no matter the subject at hand.
Clinton would bite his lower lip and the Gipper just kept smiling but Obama appears to need lessons when it come to appearing anything but “cool”. Of course, if you have no principles, the job was basically handed to you, and the MSM is still drooling over your presence, I suppose any form of emotion, good or bad, sullies the image of detachment.
As some critic once pointed out about a Katherine Hepburn performance: “Her acting range goes from A to B then stops right there”.
I’m not even sure he could be bothered to find the sand if he was on vacation in Hawaii, nevermind draw the line.
I wouldn’t care about his totally humanless affect if it fronted for action, or any sort of leadership at all, but it’s empty all the way through.
Evidently, the WH is “walking back” their support [tepid though it was] for the WI unions.
Typical.
Maddam Tussads didn’t have to make a wax figure of Obama, it’s redundant. Obama is a nowhere man… sitting in his nowhere land… when he says he supports something, that’s pretty much a signal that he’ll be hanging that cause or group out to dry on its own eventually.
One of the articles I found most appalling [and I apologize if this has already been covered] was the report that several Lybian air force pilots flew into Malta after being ordered to fire on the populace. They refused, defected. Also reports of military and police being executed for not following similar orders.
Reports coming in from Anderson Cooper, talking to a woman who claims Gaddaffi won’t be satisfied until he kills everyone. Awful.
Link here to defection story:
http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-national/libya-war-zone-pilots-defect-to-avoid-gaddafi-s-genocide-order
Their goal is to bring back the good old days of the Triangle Shirtwaist co…stat
Yesterday, the Obama administration was “gravely concerned.”
I’m waiting for the famous Obama ” We will not rest…” level of concern…now watch this drive
plug the democracy hole, he can’t suck up the unrest with a straw
lol! Exactly. Next we’ll hear how his younger daughter asked him, while he was shaving, if he’s calmed the Libyan situation yet…yawn
I was at the NYC worlds fair in 1964 as a kid…and I saw ” at the Illinois pavilion, a lifelike President Abraham Lincoln, voiced by Royal Dano, recited his famous speeches in “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”….
And let me tell you…the stilted, jerky robot Abe had more alot emotion and life than Mr.Obama does
Lol!!
He’s not smiling cuz Michelle and the girls went on a long skiing weekend to Vail. It’s part of that “we all have to sacrifice” thing. He’s worried about how much sacrificing she’s doing staying at the Sebastian Hotel where
She also dined here. You’ll notice the lobster is on the first course. 😉
Isn’t that just lovely. Setting just the right tone with most of the country suffering from an economic crisis.
I note they try and use organic ingredients, to provide the ‘most un-interrupted flavor.’
What the heck does that mean?
I suppose only Michelle and the upperclass can know. Me, I gotta eat home grown, for a very interrupted flavor!
what the hell is roasted beet creme?
Hey y’all (best Paula Dean voice), I’m not one of the ones who will just berate Michelle for general purposes, but here are folks just trying to get by and make ends meet and are fighting for basic rights as public employees and then we see this as an example. Not good at all.
Sima @ 7:12am
Too funny. You are a riot! 🙂
Fannie, maybe the roasted beef creme is something eaten with arugula
People over here are worried about greater exoduses of boat people.
At the moment since the problems in Tunisia they’ve been arriving at a rate of 5,000 a week on Lampedusa-a small island with a population of 6,000.
(Those are rough figures. Found this article in English, by googling)
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/boat-people-head-uncertain-destination
Wow.
My Lord I was thinking of the Vietnamese boat people and then the writer draws that comparison. So sad.
I really do think Obama is not one to show his emotions very well. I am ok with that…just please say something relevant.
Although in diplomatic speak..the quieter everyone gets the more ominous it really is. Reminds me of my mother.
Heh. “Reminds me of my mother”. Now I’m reminded of my mother too, quiet, not a good thing!
I don’t know if Obama is simply empty, or just opaque. I don’t really care, although if he’s empty, that’s worrying. What ethics guide him? Little it seems, but intense loyalty to certain people.
I’ve just finished the book, “O: a presidential novel” by anonymous. It seems to suggest throughout what we know anyway, that Obama is a user of people for his own ends. Uses, then discards. That he loves himself immensely and is surrounded by sycophants who largely share his excellent opinion of himself.
and is possessed of a nasty little temper
Yea, that sounds about right. I’ll have to check out the book.
Just saw this and it is the first one, with a clear disapproval of the President and one that notes that others are noticing the violence/genocidal actions of Gaddafi leashed on the Libyan people. Today, they went after Al Jazeera and Qatar and said they were making all the killings up!?!
Gaddafi didn’t seem to even blink when the UN Security Council came out and urged him to stop the violence against unarmed civilians and using the armed forces to attack the civilians.
I hope the Libyan people are OK and pray/sending them good thoughts for their safety and survival.