How to Tell When Obama is Doing the Right Thing

He gets attacked by the political right and the political left. That's what he is getting over the Libyan intervention.

Funny how Americans love to tell stories about all their wars being "of necessity" and purely "to help the local people". But they aren't. They are generally done to protect American strategic interests. Even Libya has a strategic value: oil. making sure that 3% of the world's oil supply isn't destroyed by Gaddafi or put to nefarious uses is a good reason to intervene.

I find it funny how the American media (as well as those slippery and useless "Arab League" politicians) went from calling for aid to a "noble popular youth revolt" to suddenly talking about "who are these people? why is America supporting an uprising that nobody knows who is leading and what they stand for?" Gee... with friends like that, who needs enemies?

The protesters in Libya didn't change. It was the US politicians and media and the Arabs.

I'm disheartened to hear that the U.A.E. has failed to send jets like it promised. And that Norway recalled its jets midair to return to Norway. And that Italy is now threatening to deny access to its air bases to the coalition. These remind me of the scene in the film Casablanca when the corrupt Vichy French official said he was "shocked! shocked to discover gambling in Rick's Café Américain".

All of these crocodile tears and knives in the back convince me that Obama did the right thing. This is the first thing in many, many months where I think he did the right thing rather than the politically expedient thing. Although I do believe it was due to pressure by Hillary Clinton. But I'll take it. Obama did the right thing.