Libya Strike News Today

Journalist here, i understand this is a pretty decorated journalist that writes for associated press, npr, among others. and i would encourage the listeners to look into that report. >> doctor, i do thank you very much for joining us right now. again, speaking on behalf or at least in support of the assad regime. i want to bring in right now farah atassi, political activist and member of the syrian national coalition. she is an advisor to rebel general idriss and she supports the idea of strikes...

There should have been a contingency plan since a year ago, the president said this is a red line, they should have talked to themselves what if this red line is crossed and if that red line is crossed, heres what i think should have happened. a couple of hours later, he should have convened his national security council, had key congressional leaders in, said were going to strike in an hour, begin the strike, then go to the american people and say we have warned assad not to use chemical weapon...

Suddenly so important. and with libya, he said looming catastrophe in benghazi, ive got to get in there, humanitarian disaster. this is why were doing it now. so with this strike, it says, you know, oh, obamas like oh, maybe a month from now, it will accomplish our strategic objectives. its preposterous. >> to say that none of these targets are time-sensitive i think is incorrect. >> this makes you crazy as a military guy, this delay. >> the whole thing makes you crazy. youre giving your enemy a...

Proposing is a limited precise strike thats really designed to send a symbolic message. this has been the problem with the administrations policy all along. they want to do something very precise, sophisticated and signal but they want to paint it in these dramatic terms. >> lets take on history for a second here, doug, because the president also brought up rwanda today, saying that essentially if we saw the genocide in rwanda today and did nothing, we would regret it. is rwanda a better histori...

A couple of hours later, he should have convened his national security council, had key congressional leaders in, said were going to strike in an hour, begin the strike, then go to the american people and say we have warned assad not to use chemical weapons, this is in contravention, all that stuff, we have decided there had to be a response. we could not let it be unanswered. the united states had put its credibility on the line. he would have had congress with him. he would have had the public...

There is an obligation to try to do something, anything, not make the perfect the enemy of the good? >> i dont think that a bombing necessarily accomplishes that. i think that perhaps a targeted strike on assad would. but -- >> take him out. >> yeah, taking him out. i think that would send a message. >> that makes you smile, colonel. >> well, i sort of agree. i think we missed our opportunity about 18 months ago. you know, we didnt start the civil war. the civil war was a home-grown thing and we...

Emboldened if we dont act. i think under those situations -- under those circumstances, we must act. and if i had to vote today, i would vote yes. >> congressman grayson, you also have been part of the security briefings, have you not? >> yes. >> and you come away with a much different opinion. you dont believe we have to strike. you dont feel the same moral compunction to act. why not? >> clearly we dont have to strike. i think thats indubitable. we shouldnt strike for several reasons. first, i...

Hour, begin the strike, then go to the american people and say we have warned assad not to use chemical weapons, this is in contravention, all that stuff, we have decided there had to be a response. we could not let it be unanswered. the united states had put its credibility on the line. he would have had congress with him. he would have had the public with him because there is a natural rally around the flag when the president makes a decision like that. and the world would have been somewhat d...

Got to get in there, humanitarian disaster. this is why were doing it now. so with this strike, it says, you know, oh, obamas like oh, maybe a month from now, it will accomplish our strategic objectives. its preposterous. >> to say that none of these targets are time-sensitive i think is incorrect. >> this makes you crazy as a military guy, this delay. >> the whole thing makes you crazy. youre giving your enemy at least ten days warning. theyve got time to move things around, hide things, and al...

Committed against the syrian people. >> miss atassi, one of the problems that the opposition and people in support of a strike here are running into in the u.s. are videos like came out in the "new york times" yesterday of one of the rebel groups in 2012 executing people who appear to be members of the syrian military. brutal video to watch. were not going to show it right now. we are. theres the headline of the "new york times." the picture, at least. you can see that execution from 2012. how d...