Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 8:29am

I’m Not the One Feeling Embarrassed Right Now

John Yoo has written a post on the Corner titled “Qaddafi’s Fall Should Embarrass GOP Isolationists” that is equivalent in style to a drunken Eagles fan at Giants New Meadowlands Stadium doing a celebratory victory dance after an Eli Manning pick six has given the Eagles a 7-6 lead two minutes into the second quarter.  Sure you have something to celebrate, but you might want to take a look at the clock and also mind your surroundings.

The stunning collapse of the Libyan regime today should be counted as a half-victory for President Obama, a rebuke to the GOP’s new isolationist wing in the House, and a testament to the responsible leadership of such Senate Republicans as Jon Kyl and Mitch McConnell.

One should understand that by isolationist Yoo means anyone who has ever opposed US military intervention at anytime, anywhere.  Presumably included in this list are people who supported military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, a list that includes most House and Senate Republicans, the editorial staffs of most conservative publications, and a majority of conservative voters.  Alas we balked at a poorly thought out intervention in Libya, one which involved no clear ally or American interest, and which also involved a Chief Executive blithely ignoring that pesky little thing called Congress.

Anyway, brilliant constitutional scholar Yoo provides this remarkably well-thought out and reasoned argument on behalf of triumphalism.

But I think the new Republican isolationists in the House (and among the presidential candidates) will come out looking even worse. They opposed the president’s constitutional authority to use force abroad to protect U.S. national-security interests, yet they failed to put forward any serious proposals of their own for U.S. foreign policy in the region (aside from pulling out wholesale, I suppose). They not only contradicted the consistent position of Republican administrations on the war-powers issue, but they had no alternatives to put forward on what to do about Libya. These House members had plenty of company from the Democratic party’s antiwar Left, of course — but if they all thought the war was illegal and a bad idea, do they want to give Libya back to Qaddafi now?

My favorite part is where he lied about the position taken by conservative opponents of the war.  This “they opposed the president’s constitutional authority to use force abroad to protect U.S. national-security interests” nonsense isn’t strong enough to be considered a strawman.  I think the War Powers Act has many faults, but I don’t need the War Powers Act to tell me what the Constitution already does: only Congress can declare war.  Simply put, the Commander-in-Chief title doesn’t give presidents carte blanche to engage American troops in prolonged foreign military engagements.  At least President Bush had been given full Congressional authority – yes, short of a formal declaration of war, but Congress had acted.  There was no such grant of power in this case.

Yoo also conveniently glosses over realities on the ground in Libya.  I hardly doubt too many conservatives are shedding tears that Qaddafi is dead.  What concerns many of us is that the alternative is looking potentially worse.  Much worse.  And of course, it might be that this sparks an “Arab Spring” that brings a revitalizing breath of democracy to the country and its environs.  We simply don’t know, and that was the point so many of us were making before President Obama committed troops without Congressional approval.

One can argue over the costs, or about the benefits of any individual intervention, but the spreading of democracy, freedom, and markets through persuasion, coercion, and sometimes force provides a principled foreign policy that is consistent with America’s greatness in the past and continues our exceptional role in the world in the future.

Except that you’ve made it clear that we can’t argue about the costs or benefits of any individual intervention without being labeled isolationist.  It’s possible to appreciate the merits of democratization in the Middle East without blindly falling into line with every single military intervention in the region.  There has to be a middle ground between the Paulist foreign policy vision, one which can more accurately be called is0lationist (and that isn’t really fair), and Wilsonian interventionism on the right.

Finally, as alluded to above, Yoo is doing a victory dance long before the final whistle has blown.  It might be wise to pause a bit before you say “Mission Accomplished,” John.

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Foxfier
Admin
Monday, August 22, AD 2011 7:13pm

???

He didn’t get permission for it, he swore he’d get out of there far quicker, he announced we were out of it a long time ago…how does this reflect well on him?

Donald R. McClarey
Admin
Monday, August 22, AD 2011 7:18pm

I am delighted that the Butcher of Lockerbie may be dead and is certainly out of power. I supported Obama in this, if little else. Having said that, only a fool commits American military force in a non-emergency situation without Congressional authorization. Now let us pray that we do not get involved in protracted nation building in Libya and a probable nasty guerilla war. Our goal is now met as far as I am concerned. If other nations like France and Italy wish to take on that task, have at it. Libya is too far removed from American interests to justify more than what we have done. Most Libyan oil goes to Europe and Libya is in their backyard. Time for Europe to show us how this can be done properly. I will enjoy the show! If the successor regime proves troublesome to us, our bombers and missiles can find their way back, I am sure.

Foxfier
Admin
Monday, August 22, AD 2011 8:08pm

Agreed.

Glad he’s gone, hope something worse doesn’t come in, how about the EU get off their duffs and actually do something– we’ll even sell them the gear, I bet, since they apparently have major issues doing basic operations.

Ivan
Ivan
Monday, August 22, AD 2011 9:49pm

Being a neocon means never having to say sorry. Should the Libyan adventure lead to another failed sharia state as it likely will, Yoo can always protest that it was carried out with the best intentions.

Jay Anderson
Monday, August 22, AD 2011 11:36pm

Can I rethink my opposition to trying Yoo as a war criminal?

RR
RR
Tuesday, August 23, AD 2011 1:01pm

And I’m sure all of you were saying the same thing when US tanks were rolling into Baghdad, right?

Foxfier
Tuesday, August 23, AD 2011 2:31pm

Third paragraph of this post, if you skip the block quotes.

Micha Elyi
Micha Elyi
Wednesday, August 24, AD 2011 12:34am

RR, when U.S. tanks were rolling into Baghdad the sitting president who gave the order had no problem naming the U.S. national security interest at stake. In contrast, can you list the specific “national-security interests” to which Mr. Yoo is referring regarding Libya? Think twice before you answer, RR, because Obama himself, supposedly a constitutional scholar and lawyer, is reluctant to admit that he’s making war on the nation of Libya. You will recall the Obama Administrations’s employment of Orwellian circumlocutions such as “kinectic action” in order to deny that Obama is employing what Mr. Yoo calls “war powers”.

Mr. Yoo’s attempt to scold his betters is amusing – he wants to blast Obama’s political opponents for criticizing that which Obama strives mightily to avoid admitting.

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