The rationale President Obama gave to get involved with Libya was that he feared thousands of civilian lives would be at stake. We've debated and discussed the decision to go into Libya already, so I won't do it again here. But today, Sen. Lindsey Graham said to CNN that in reality he's willing to kill thousands of civilians with a bombing raid on Tripoli to pressure Gaddafi’s inner circle to revolt against him..
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the United States should take a more aggressive approach in Libya to oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi, bombing the capital city so members of Gaddafi’s inner circle "wake up every day wondering, ‘will this be my last?’"
Graham defended the United States' involvement in Libya, including the newly-approved use of predator drones in the country. Russia and China have accused the U.S. of overstepping a U.N. mandate against excessive force in Libya, arguing Western allies have made the situation in Libya worse.
“I like coalitions: It's good to have them, it's good to have the U.N. involved. But the goal is to get rid of Gaddafi,” Graham said on CNN’S “State of the Union.”
“A military stalemate is ensuing, and the only way I know to make this thing successful is to put pressure on Tripoli," he said. "So I would not let the U.N. mandate stop what is the right thing to do.”
CNN's Candy Crowley told him that's against the UN mandate, but to hell with them, right Goober? War hawks rule!
Graham: My recommendation to NATO and the administration is to cut the head of the snake off, go to Tripoli and start bombing Gaddafi's inner circle, their compounds, their military headquarters in Tripoli the way to get Gaddafi to leave is to have his inner circle break and turn on him and that's going to take a sustained effort through an air campaign.
Crowley: Here's the problem, the UN resolution calls for protecting the Libyan people so it's going top be hard to make that connection, listen we're going after Gaddafi, we're going after his men, that's not within their mandate.
Collateral damage is a term that is meaningless to warhawks. I didn't know Lindsey liked Ozzy Osbourne. Bats or snakes -- it's all the same to warmongers, right?
