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Columnist off base on Obama criticism

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To the editor:

Mr. Lewis, you've really done it! Your column in the April 2 HCP was so off base as to be laughable, were it not so serious an allegation. Your whole point was to bash President Obama.

Your main stab at Obama was to say he is an indecisive do-nothing. Far from it, Obama realizes, which you do not!, that the United States of America is NOT the policeman of the world, NOT the peacekeeper of the world, and NOT the proper one to take Kadafi down.  

The only reason Americans allowed President Bush to take out Saddam Hussein was that Bush lied about the reason – saying Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. No one in his right mind believes Kadafi has WMDs. We only know that he brutalizes his people, and that he threatened to wipe out anyone who opposed him. That makes him a threat to his own people, not to the United States!

Obama saw that an opportunity, if not a duty, to prevent the killing of millions of Libyans by a crazed dictator. He knew that if we went American troops to topple Kadafi, the Arab and even the whole Moslem world would turn against us in a united front. We do not need that. We cannot abide by anything which would cause that.

So Obama sought out an international coalition (NATO and others) to join with the United States to protect the Libyan dissidents from certain annihilation. Saving the lives of people who want a say in their government was his objective, as he so clearly stated over and over again (which apparently fell on your deaf ears).

Eric Deters wrote a column in the same issue in which your Obama-bash was highlighted. In it he spoke of "Consent of the governed" as being a natural human right, a call shouted from the lips of men and women at least since 1776 in dozens of nations.  

He allowed that while the aftermath of a devilish leader's fall may be an even worse situation, the right of self-determination was paramount.   

Obama knows full well that if the United States bore the entire burden of taking out Kadafi, we would certainly face a worse situation. Announcing our support for the aspirations of the Libyan people to determine how and by whom they are governed, Obama avoided ticking off the entire Moslem population of the world and giving Al Kaida even more legitimacy in their eyes.

Contrary to being indecisive, Obama has proved by his mature and measured response in convening a coalition of nations to stop Kadafi killing his opponents (even though it took a week or more to get everyone on board) that he is both a fit and a wise leader in this situation.

A number of Moslem countries have supported our efforts in Libya, whereas they would have opposed our invasion of that land. Consensus-building is far better than a blunderbuss approach to the Libyan situation. And any effort to produce bad ends by good means is bad!

In closing, Gary, if you can't analyze things in a even-handed manner, then you need  to get out of the way, and let leaders lead!

Sincerely,
Yancy Boman
Hillsboro[[In-content Ad]]

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