Fear of Losing the Election Made Obama React Dully

Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi has been put in a dead end, yet his mercenaries are still winning on the battlefields for him. The troops fought back on [March] 5 and tried to reclaim Zawiyah, a city near the capital. It had been a serious battle. Although the opposition force defeated Gadhafi’s troops twice, they are still trapped in the town.

Gadhafi is never going to give in. In an earlier interview with the foreign press, he unashamedly said, “People love me so much that they are willing to die for me.” On the question of whether he would step down or leave Libya in exile, he even blabbered that “Libya is ruled by its people, and I am only a member of it. I am not a king, neither a president. Where do you want me to step down from?” In fact, this self-identified “revolutionary leader” has dominated the nation’s army, resources, and the life and death of every Libyan since he overthrew the Kingdom of Libya 42 years ago.

It’s the Libyan people who in this very war fight for their deserved rights. In the meantime, internal conflicts also broke out between Gadhafi and his mercenaries. On the morning of March 8, gunshots that lasted for two hours were heard in the capital city of Tripoli. The government officials claimed it to be the “celebration of victories in battles,” yet everyone knows Gadhafi’s mercenaries are in clashes, and he’s not too far from losing them.

Gadhafi is now in total hardship. Domestically, no one likes him, and his mercenaries are rebellious. Internationally, the U.N. Security Council and the European Council both issued sanctions with details including an arms embargo, travel restrictions for Gadhafi and his family, and they further froze their assets overseas. Gadhafi’s situation is well-described in a Chinese saying that goes he’s like “a pig looking itself in the mirror: Neither the pig nor its reflection resembles a human being.”

U.S. President Barack Obama has, however, been extraordinarily reticent since the turmoil broke out. Not until the 7th did Obama officially pressure Gadhafi to work on the situation. This should imply that the U.S. has been in discussion with NATO on how to react to what’s happening in Libya, including the potential “military actions.” Under pressure from Congress, Obama struck a tough pose. He said that he wants to “send a very clear message to those who are around Colonel Gadhafi” that “it is their choice to make how they operate moving forward. And they will be held accountable for whatever violence continues to take place.”

Even the Arabic world condemns the Libyan authority for killing civilians, and they support setting up no-fly zones. Both the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Arab League, which represents the Arabic states, support the establishment of no-fly zones to prevent Gadhafi from continuing the indiscriminate fighter jet bombing.

There are perspectives in the Congress and even within the Obama administration that Obama is reacting dully this time. Republican Sen. John McCain and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman both advocate that the U.S. should intervene and negotiate with those in power in Libya. Obama, however, dared not make a decision, as his predecessor, President Bush, had made so many mistakes on military actions, including the lasting mire of war in Afghanistan. If Obama made any mistake on Libya, he would not only lose the presidential election next year but be impeached by the Congress. This is why Obama has been lagging in responding to what’s happening in Libya.

The U.S. already has five ships approaching the Mediterranean Sea in the direction of Libya with about 400 Marines on the ships. The president could declare war on Libya at any time.

According to the Middle East Times on March 7, Gadhafi already sent one representative to Benghazi to talk to the opposition concerning the domestic turmoil and international pressures. Gadhafi said that he’s willing to give up power and leave Libya if he, his family and their assets are all secured.

It’s said that Gadhafi also requested “assistance when leaving the country” and the promise that he wouldn’t be captured and sent to the International Court. Gadhafi even advised the opposition to hold the General People’s Congress, the Libyan parliament, to legitimize his stepping down. The request was rejected by the opposition army.

No doubt Obama will be overjoyed if Gadhafi leaves without the U.S. needing to use any military means.