Just out of curiosity, who is the Commander in Chief?

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Because I don't think we have one:

I had a hard time getting past the first sentence of this:

Defense secretary Robert Gates says the United States has not had discussions with its NATO partners about how to handle the unfolding crisis in Libya, and he believes that the United States could not quickly enforce a no-fly zone in the country to keep military jets from shooting on the citizens they’re meant to protect.

Regarding the second clause of the sentence, I would say there are valid and understandable considerations, even if I would have put the matter in different terms.  More on that in a moment.

The first part of the statement cannot be accounted for in any positive way.  Libya sits 300-some miles across the water from NATO member Italy, which is already scrambling to deal with a massive influx of refugees from North Africa.  The rapidly failing state keeps ejecting random military weapon systems – pilots defecting with Mirage F-1 fighters, at least one warship – while its insane dictator, along with bombing his own people, is threatening to destroy the Libyan oilfields, whose output makes the nation OPEC’s tenth largest producer.  Crude futures have been climbing for days.  Egypt has now moved troops to her border with Libya.

Moreover, the alarming fact is that we have even less of an idea what might happen in Libya if Qaddafi is killed – or otherwise relieved of his duties – than we have of what the future holds for neighboring Tunisia and Egypt.  This is the very definition of a NATO security issue.

And yet we haven’t talked to NATO about how to respond to this situation?  Seriously?  It’s not like we don’t have constant contact with our NATO allies through the NATO Council in Belgium and multiple allied commands. I’m not sure I see how we could avoid talking to NATO about Libya.  It would have been cost-free for Secretary Gates to say we had done so, even if he had no specific conclusions or plans to report.  It simply makes no sense to convey to a group of opinion writers the truly bizarre message that there has been no consultation.

<snip>

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2011/02/23/gates-on-libya-not-making-sense/

The call came in at 3AM...

...and the phone is still ringing 8 weeks later.

[Airwolf]

Because I don't think we have one:

Regarding the second clause of the sentence, I would say there are valid and understandable considerations, even if I would have put the matter in different terms.  More on that in a moment.

The first part of the statement cannot be accounted for in any positive way.  Libya sits 300-some miles across the water from NATO member Italy, which is already scrambling to deal with a massive influx of refugees from North Africa.  The rapidly failing state keeps ejecting random military weapon systems – pilots defecting with Mirage F-1 fighters, at least one warship – while its insane dictator, along with bombing his own people, is threatening to destroy the Libyan oilfields, whose output makes the nation OPEC’s tenth largest producer.  Crude futures have been climbing for days.  Egypt has now moved troops to her border with Libya.

Moreover, the alarming fact is that we have even less of an idea what might happen in Libya if Qaddafi is killed – or otherwise relieved of his duties – than we have of what the future holds for neighboring Tunisia and Egypt.  This is the very definition of a NATO security issue.

And yet we haven't talked to NATO about how to respond to this situation?  Seriously?  It's not like we don't have constant contact with our NATO allies through the NATO Council in Belgium and multiple allied commands. I'm not sure I see how we could avoid talking to NATO about Libya.  It would have been cost-free for Secretary Gates to say we had done so, even if he had no specific conclusions or plans to report.  It simply makes no sense to convey to a group of opinion writers the truly bizarre message that there has been no consultation.

<snip>

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2011/02/23/gates-on-libya-not-making-sense/

The call came in at 3AM...

...and the phone is still ringing 8 weeks later.

WTF? First of all we have no legal or any other authority to fire on Libyan jets unless they fire on our aircraft or ships as it stands right now.  I doubt that Congress would even agree to allowing it since if we shot first it would be an act of war. NATO might bitch about it but in reality they were set up to defend Europe . The fact they have troops in Iraq or anylace else now is because they choose to help a fellow member out and can withdraw at anytime from the combat zone. The only place they have to defend is their homeland ,they are not in the business of quashing civil wars in the ME.

[TVDOC]

WTF? First of all we have no legal or any other authority to fire on Libyan jets unless they fire on our aircraft or ships as it stands right now.  I doubt that Congress would even agree to allowing it since if we shot first it would be an act of war. NATO might bitch about it but in reality they were set up to defend Europe . The fact they have troops in Iraq or anylace else now is because they choose to help a fellow member out and can withdraw at anytime from the combat zone. The only place they have to defend is their homeland ,they are not in the business of quashing civil wars in the ME.

Since 86% of Libya's oil production goes to Europe, and they will be stuck with millions of refugees if civil war breaks out, I'd say it sure as hell IS a national security issue for them......

doc

[FreeBorn]

Gates is simply stonewalling. Perhaps he correctly surmises that his boss has no freakin' clue how to handle something that isn't scripted for him.

To imply that we have no plan here is preposterous, of course we do. The Pentagon is not full of people who just mill about saluting each other all day. Along with NATO and the various commands of our allies they are constantly working out contingency plans to react to any number of developing military scenarios and naval problems world wide. That's their job!

When put to task, if Gates has no answers IMHO it means his boss is utterly unpredictable and Gates doesn't want to commit to anything on record.

[thundley4]

Obama is waiting to see what the UN wants to do.

[Thor]

We have a figurehead that waits until he's safe to join whatever the rest of the gang is going to do instead of actually being a LEADER. Too bad that the CinC doesn't have to attend military leadership school. Didn't Reagan have the balls to drop a bomb in Qadaffi's bathroom??

[DefiantSix]

Obama is waiting to see what the UN wants to do.

The UN - apparently including the US delegation to it, based upon recent reports - wants to drive Israel into the sea for daring such an offensive act as existing.  Now what?

[Airwolf]

Since 86% of Libya's oil production goes to Europe, and they will be stuck with millions of refugees if civil war breaks out, I'd say it sure as hell IS a national security issue for them......

doc

Well then it would be. I had no idea about the % of oil going to Europe.

[LC EFA]

I bet there is a folder in a file in some dusty place in the pentagon containing contingency plans for nearly every possible situation in nearly every possible place. This is no exception.

Just a matter of digging it out, and activating it.

[FreeBorn]

Obama is waiting to see what the UN wants to do.

I've said this before- Soetoro is looking past the Oval Office already. He has his eyes on the big desk at the U.N. for his next job. "King of the World". He's actually taken that desk for a test drive -in blatant violation of our Constitution- when he was temporarily sworn in as Grand Poo-Pah, Nancy and Shrillary gushed like teenage girls at a Beatles concert.

[Alpha Mare]

That's my take on him, too. He has a few more giveaways to do before we lose our sovereignty.

 
By executive order 12425, issued in 1983, President Reagan recognized Interpol as an international organization and gave it some of the privileges and immunities customarily extended to foreign diplomats. Interpol, however, is also an active law-enforcement agency, so critical privileges and immunities (set forth in Section 2(c) of the International Organizations Immunities Act) were withheld. Specifically, Interpol’s property and assets remained subject to search and seizure, and its archived records remained subject to public scrutiny under provisions like the Freedom of Information Act. Being constrained by the Fourth Amendment, FOIA, and other limitations of the Constitution and federal law that protect the liberty and privacy of Americans is what prevents law-enforcement and its controlling government authority from becoming tyrannical.

On Wednesday, however, for no apparent reason, President Obama issued an executive order removing the Reagan limitations. That is, Interpol’s property and assets are no longer subject to search and confiscation, and its archives are now considered inviolable. This international police force (whose U.S. headquarters is in the Justice Department in Washington) will be unrestrained by the U.S. Constitution and American law while it operates in the United States and affects both Americans and American interests outside the United States.

Interpol works closely with international tribunals (such as the International Criminal Court — which the United States has refused to join because of its sovereignty surrendering provisions, though top Obama officials want us in it).

Why is it suddenly necessary to have, within the Justice Department, a repository for stashing government files which, therefore, will be beyond the ability of Congress, American law-enforcement, the media, and the American people to scrutinize?

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/191918/why-does-interpol-need-immunity-american-law-andrew-c-mccarthy


At least we know where the birth certificate is.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Obama is waiting to see what the UN wants to do.

I'm sure he's already hard at work on picking a Libya Czar to deal with it.

[JohnnyReb]

She'll take care of things when she gets back from her ski trip.

[Wineslob]

Obama is waiting to see what the UN tells him to do.

Fixed

[FreeBorn]

She'll take care of things when she gets back from her ski trip.

High 5 Johnny! 

[Thor]

You know........ 0bamao truly makes me sick to my stomach. Here he is, the first "Black" President, who could have used his position to do some good and have really shined. But, NOOOOOOOOOO, what does he do?? He makes a mockery of the Office  and goes on extravagant vacations all of the time. Can anybody say, "Welfare Cadillac" only multiplied by a MILLION times!!

[NHSparky]

He ain't the only one, Thor--look at how much San Fran Nan spent on plane travel and perks on them alone ($1.2 MILLION in 2009.)