Obama’s supposedly steadfast claim that there will be “no boots on the ground” in Libya?
2,200 Marines Go To Libya, ‘What Happened to No Boots on the Ground’?
In all the reporting on the involvement of US Forces in Libya a report by WCTI Channel 12 News in New Bern, North Carolina seems to have gone by almost unnoticed. The News channel reports that 2,200 U.S. Marines have been shipped off the Libya. But doesn’t this deployment clash with Obama’s supposedly steadfast claim that there will be “no boots on the ground” in Libya? On March 20 WCTI reported that the Marines were shipping out.
About 2,200 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or 26th MEU will take part. Their mission is to help end the violence directed at the Libyan people.
“In Libya right now they are doing exactly what we need them to do. They are doing what they are told and right now that’s protecting Libyan people against Qadhafi forces,” said Captain Timothy Patrick, a Marine with the 26th MEU.
So, what is it? Are there Marines in Libya or will there be “no boots on the ground”? If there are Marines there, what are they there for?
Just what is Obama’s plan? What is his strategy? Is there one?
One suspects that US ground forces will have to become engaged if anything solid is to happen in NATO’s engagement in Libya. And it seems like Obama is warming us up for that yet.
In a recent interview Obama used some artful spin on our involvement there. He said that the US is being “volunteered to carry out missions” in Libya. Volunteered? By whom?
And we will continue to support the efforts to protect the Libyan people, but we will not be in the lead. That’s what the transition that I discussed has always been designed to do. We have unique capabilities. We came in, up front, fairly readily, fairly substantially, and at considerable risk to our military personnel. And when this transition takes place, it is not going to be our planes that are maintaining the no-fly zone. It is not going to be our ships that are necessarily involved in enforcing the arms embargo. That’s precisely what the other coalition partners are going to do.
And that’s why building this international coalition has been so important because it means that the United States is not bearing all the cost. It means that we have confidence that we are not going in alone, and it is our military that is being volunteered by others to carry out missions that are important not only to us, but are important internationally. And we will accomplish that in a relatively short period of time. (emphasis added)
With the fact that one NATO ally has already pulled its troops from Libya, one has to wonder where this is headed for US forces?
**UPDATED**
Dan Riehl reports that an additional 400 Marines are headed to Libya, too.
| | Warner Todd Huston
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Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as gatewaypundit.com, renewamerica.us, rightwingnews.com, chicagonow.com, stoptheaclu.com, andamericandaily.com, among many, many others. He has also written for several history magazines, has appeared on numeruous TV and radio shows and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture,” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of Publius’ Forum.
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