Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday and, while he was critical of the way President Barack Obama has handled affairs in Libya, he strongly backed continued military operations against that nation, calling for the removal of strongman Moammar Gadhafi.
Rubio took exception to efforts -- mostly led by Republicans -- to curtail the presidents authority in conducting operations against Libya. A host of Republicans -- including some from the Sunshine State, such as U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney -- have argued that Obama is in violation of the War Powers Act by continuing operating against Libya without congressional authority.
The Florida Republican spoke in support of a measure authorizing action against Libya which was introduced by two defeated presidential nominees -- Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican John McCain of Arizona -- and Democratic stalwart Carl Levin of Michigan. With most Republicans and many antiwar Democrats opposing it, the measure is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House.
Libya is at a critical juncture, insisted Rubio. And for the United States, there is only one acceptable outcome: The removal of the Gadhafi regime and, with it, the opportunity for the Libyan people to build a free and democratic society.
Reviewing the recent American military actions against Libya, Rubio said that Obama showed no leadership on the matter.
Why we have reached this point is something history will have to explain, said Rubio. Suffice it to say that it didnt have to be this way. And the reason why it is, is 100 percent the result of the presidents failure to lead.
Now, with all that being said, we need to decide what to do next, he continued. This is not about hawks versus doves, or interventionists versus isolationists, or any of the other labels that people throw around here. And this cannot be about how upset we are at the president for botching the handling of this matter. What we need to do next should be decided based on what is in the best interest of our country.
Insisting that the United States is engaged in a fight, Rubio stated there are two possible outcomes.
It can end with the fall of a brutal, criminal, anti-American dictator, he said. Or it could end in the dictators victory over our allies and us. I would suggest that, given these two choices, the best choice for America is the first one, the fall of the anti-American dictator.
Rubio noted that many Americans are fed up with military involvement overseas during a time of severe budget restraints here at home.
We are already involved, he insisted. We are already involved in Libya. We have already spent a considerable amount of money there. And were going to let all of this go to waste? Are we prepared to walk away and get stuck with a lose-lose proposition? We spent all the money on Libya, and Gadhafi is still around. It is in our national interest to get this over with already.
Rubio called for the measure to pass through committee, arguing it is vital to take a stand against Libya.
This afternoon, the Foreign Relations Committee will meet to consider a resolution on this matter. I am concerned that, rather than push the president to do what is necessary to bring this conflict to a successful conclusion, some are pushing to restrict our campaign, said Rubio, who sits on that committee. No matter how you may feel about the original decision, we must now deal with the situation as it now stands. And the bottom line here is that if we withdraw from our air war over Libya, it will lengthen the conflict, it will increase its cost to American taxpayers, and raise doubts about U.S. leadership among friends and foes alike.
With Rubio emerging as one of the rising stars of the GOP during the 2010 election cycle -- and with the Florida senator almost certain to be in the pool of vice presidential candidates for the Republican presidential nominee in 2012 -- there are political implications to Rubio breaking with a majority of Republican voters on the issues.
While most of the field of Republican presidential candidates have been critical of Obamas actions against Libya, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota also called for the recognition of the anti-Gadhafi Transitional National Council (TNC) and the removal of the Libyan leader in a speech he made to the Council on Foreign Relations earlier Tuesday.
In Libya, the best help America can provide," said Pawlenty, "... is to stop leading from behind and commit Americas strength to removing Gadhafi, recognizing the TNC as the government of Libya, and unfreezing assets so the TNC can afford security and essential services as it marches toward Tripoli.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
