Saif Qaddafi ‘Surprised’ By Coalition Attack
Appearing on This Week, Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s son Saif Qaddafi said the country was “surprised” by the multi-national air strikes on the country. “Step aside, why?” said the younger Qaddafi. “Again, there is a big misunderstanding. The whole country is united against the armed militia and the terrorists. Simply the Americans and the other Western countries, you are supporting the terrorists and the armed militia. That’s it.”
Mullen: Qaddafi’s Future “Difficult To Know”
Appearing on Face the Nation, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi: “He’s a thug, he’s a cagey guy, he’s a survivor. We know that. So it’s difficult to know exactly how it comes out, but in the immediate future we’re very focused on protecting, providing the environment in which the Libyan civilians cannot be massacred by him and that there can be humanitarian relief and particularly in and around Benghazi.”
Mullen: ‘The No-Fly Zone We Were Tasked To Put In Place Is Now In Place’
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said that Western forces have established “24/7” combat air patrols over the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi: “We’ve had a pretty significant impact in this first 24 hours … I would say the no-fly zone we were tasked to put in place is now in place.”
Levin Predicts ‘Strong Bipartisan Support’ In Congress For Libya Mission
Appearing on Meet The Press, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) said: “He [Adm. Mullen] has a military operation with very clear mission, and that’s what the president should do is have a clear mission and to avoid mission creep. And one of the things that I know our military are very—were very concerned about was that there could be mission creep. They don’t have that concern anymore because this mission has been very carefully limited. After a few days there’s going to be a handoff. After the air is cleared of any threats, there’s going to be a handoff to our allies, and this mission will then be carried on by French, by British, and by Arab countries. And that’s very important. One of the reasons I predict that there will be strong bipartisan support in the Congress for the president’s decision is because it is a limited mission, no boots on the ground, and because he has done this with great caution, with great care.”
Sen. Jeff Sessions Supportive Of Libya Mission ‘At This Point’
Appearing on Meet The Press, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said of the Libya mission: “I’m supportive of that at this point. And I do think, however, the no-fly zone, as it’s being executed, has proven Senator Kerry and Senator McCain in their call for a no-fly zone correct. They did that several weeks ago. And certainly, had it been done several weeks ago, we’d be in better shape than we are today.” However, he also added: “I can’t quite see where we are heading. I can’t see exactly where the endgame is, and I do think it is a troubling situation. We just hope for the best and maybe this will be successful. But I don’t see the certainty of it for sure.”
Lieberman: ‘If Qaddafi Survives, The Arab Spring Maybe Comes To Too Soon An End’
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said that “we can’t afford” to let Qaddafi to stay in office. “If Qaddafi survives, the Arab spring maybe comes to too soon an end, at least it doesn’t move beyond Tunisian and Egypt,” said Lieberman. “It’s late, but it’s not too late, if we act quickly together.”
McCain: Obama ‘Waited Too Long’ On Libya, But We Now Need To Support Him
Appearing on State of the Union, in an interview taped on Friday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) criticized President Obama for having moved too slowly on Libya. “He (President Obama) waited too long, there is no doubt in my mind about it. But now, it is what it is,” said McCain. “We need now to support him and the efforts that our military are going to make. And I regret that it didn’t - we didn’t act much more quickly, and we could have.”
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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