Condoleezza Rice

Qaddafi Wrote Song For Rice: 'Black Flower in the White House'

Susan Crabtree | October 26, 2011, 10:35AM

In what may well be the most awkward personal moment in U.S. diplomatic history, in her new memoir Condoleezza Rice recalls a creepy 2008 meeting with then-Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi that ended with Qaddafi showing her photos of herself he had collected and a serenade of a song he had a famous Libyan composer write for her.

Rice's reaction? Run away, run away!!

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Peter Welch

Dem Rep. Peter Welch To Obama: Libya Should Pay U.S. Back

David Taintor | October 24, 2011, 1:00PM

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) wants Libya to pay the U.S. back.

In a letter to President Obama released Saturday, Welch wrote, "We believe it is essential that Libya reimburse the American taxpayer for the cost of our participation in the NATO mission."

Welch told TPM that repaying the U.S. would be a great way for Libya to build self-confdience and really "own their success," adding that the oil-rich country has the financial resources to do so.

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Barack Obama

White House To GOP Critics On Libya: We Were Right

Susan Crabtree | October 20, 2011, 7:25PM

The White House is brushing aside criticism -- from the GOP presidential field and others -- that Obama doesn't deserve credit for the death of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

In a lengthy press briefing after President Obama heralded Qaddafi's death and publicly congratulated the Libyan people for winning their revolution, White House spokesman Jay Carney was asked whether the President felt validated by Qaddafi's killing and the conclusion of the Libyan civil war.

"Well, I think I've made clear that we believe that the President made the right decisions to work with our allies, to work with NATO, to work with the United Nations, not to do something on the cheap but because it was the right policy answer to the situation that presented itself, taking a long-term view about what outcome do you want in Libya," Carney said.

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Libya

GOP Senator Supports 'Infrastructure' Spending ... In Libya (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | October 20, 2011, 3:42PM

Republicans have made blanket opposition to big federal spending projects a cornerstone of their policy agenda. That means even historically bipartisan programs like infrastructure investment are DOA in Congress, at least for the time being.

So it came as a bit of a surprise to hear a GOP senator who's up for re-election this cycle say on Fox News, "We can go over there and help them build their infrastructure up."

That's Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). He wasn't talking about a forlorn corner of the United States, though. He was talking about Libya. And the 'infrastructure' he was talking about didn't really include schools and bridges.

"One of the problems I have from leading from behind is when a day like this comes we don't have the infrastructure in place that we could have," Graham explained. Here he's talking about the metaphorical infrastructure of U.S. forces and appointees on the ground who can help direct events. However, he soon moved on to talking about another type of infrastructure -- the kind that helps with extracting oil.

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Barack Obama

Obama On Qaddafi: 'The Dark Shadow Of Tyranny' Has Lifted

Susan Crabtree | October 20, 2011, 3:27PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama took a moment to herald the death of longtime Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi and mark a turning point for the Libyan people, their relentless pursuit of freedom and their country's democratic future.

Speaking in a live address from the White House Rose Garden Thursday afternoon, Obama welcomed the lifting of "the dark shadow of tyranny" from Libya.

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Barack Obama

Obama: 'The Dark Shadow' Has Lifted

October 20, 2011, 2:20PM

Speaking in a live address from the White House Rose Garden, President Obama welcomed the lifting of "the dark shadow of tyranny" from Libya.

After hours of reports about the death of Libya's ousted leader, the President announced that "today we can definitively say the Qaddafi regime has come to an end."

"One of the world's longest-serving dictators is no more," he continued.

Obama said America had achieved its objectives, and soon the NATO mission would "come to an end."

However, he said American engagement would continue as the country transitioned towards "its first free elections." He said establishing a democracy would be "the ultimate rebuke" to Qaddafi.

Obama also sounded a note of warning for other intransigent Arab despots such as Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, both of whom are presiding over brutal crackdowns on "Arab Spring" crowds.

"The rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end," Obama warned. "Those leaders who try to deny [their peoples] their dignity will not succeed."