Is it safe?
In Libya
and that region of the world there exists sectarian discontent, tribal
conflict, religious contention, political animosity, class and socio-economic
friction along with gender and racial persecution. And note that all these issues are the
problems you will find in the good neighborhoods. All these issues and all that now seems to be
part of our concern were controlled by the dictator Muammar Gaddafi who as you
know had a great deal of American blood on his hands. Now he is gone do you really think anyone can
fully control the country? There is a
lot of deep rooted social turbulence to be settled some of which may never be
settled. Make no mistake we are only in Libya
because they are an oil producer. The
region and country remains volatile with no real policing. How can you tell freedom fighters who have
won “put down your guns and go home?” As
for the American
ambassador to Libya,
Chris Stevens, his mission was a labor of love as he knew the country and the
people like no other before him. He also
knew that your friend in the morning could be your enemy in the evening. He knew the danger and accepted the mission
and was loved by all the local leaders that knew him. But the danger was real and too great to be
handled with simple diplomacy and protocols.
In short Benghazi is not and could not be
made safe. Gaddafi had a well-equipped
army and ruled with an iron fist. Now he
is gone old wounds and old social conflicts are free to reemerge. The security needs in that region remains
unquantifiable. Yes our ambassador was
killed and we need answers. But no
amount of excuses or explanations will bring him back. Let’s remember him for his service and not
vilify the Obama administration for obvious errors. The head of the CIA is David Petraeus
and I trust his judgment. Most of the
decisions on these issues are based on the advice of his office. Yes there has been a miscalculation but it
pales in comparison to the invasion of Iraq which was a debacle of monumental
proportion. How many lives were
needlessly lost there (about 4488 killed since the war began)? Not to mention Bush and Cheney being convicted of war crimes in violation
of the Geneva
Conventions in courts all
over the world. Yes I am proud to
support Obama he has brought dignity and respect back to the “Office of
President”. We are all in this together
is a much better sentiment than every-man for himself.
