Obama to face nation to explain why the U.S. got involved in Libya

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Obama to face nation to explain why the U.S. got involved in Libya

By Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 1 hour 5 minutes

ago

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will take to the airwaves on Monday night to

explain to Americans his reasons for involving the U.S. military in Libya as he

faces the ire of U.S. Congress and a public skeptical about yet another military

campaign in a Muslim country.

At an earlier event in D.C. on Monday, Obama insisted American involvement will

be " limited, both in time and scope. " That's been a key White House talking

point since an international coalition, led by the United States, launched air

strikes against Libya just over a week ago.

His remarks took on new weight thanks to developments a day earlier, when NATO

officials approved a plan to take over from the United States all air

operations, including attacks against ground targets inside Libya. Canadian

Lieut.-Gen. Bouchard is commanding the NATO forces.

" NATO will soon be implementing all military aspects of the UN resolution, "

Bouchard told a news conference Monday in Naples, Italy, adding that aim was to

protect civilians, not aid the Libyan rebels attempting to overthrow Libyan

leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Obama, too, is expected to reiterate that point as well on Monday night. The

president said as much already in his weekly radio address on Saturday, opening

with the line: " I ordered our armed forces to help protect the Libyan people

from the brutality of Moammar Gadhafi. "

The White House said Monday that Obama is also expected to make clear to

Americans that Libya does not represent another Iraq or Afghanistan _ there will

be no U.S. ground troops sent into Libya under any circumstances.

The notion of U.S. soldiers fighting three costly wars _ in Iraq, Afghanistan

and now Libya _ has been worrying Americans, who are war-weary and alarmed by

the country's US$14 trillion national debt.

Obama will deliver the speech not from the White House, but from the National

Defence University in Washington. The institution is funded by the Defence

Department.

His remarks come as he faces heat from Republicans and Democrats alike for

involving the U.S. military in the Libyan conflict without consulting Congress.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, currently consumed with debt reduction,

have been asking for days how the U.S. can afford to be participating in yet

another overseas conflict. They also want more details on the military's role in

Libya in the days and weeks to come.

Pentagon officials have reportedly speculated that the U.S. involvement in the

North African country could drag on for months.

A few hours before his speech, administration officials assured Americans that

U.S. forces would not become similarly involved in other uprisings in the Middle

East, including in Syria and Bahrain.

" Obviously there are certain aspirations that are being voiced by each of these

movements, but there's no question that each of them is unique, " Denis

McDonough, deputy national security adviser, told a White House media gathering.

" We don't get very hung up on this question of precedent. "

McDonough didn't comment on an exit strategy for U.S. military in Libya.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he said, would provide more details on

Tuesday during an international meeting on Libya in London.

Neither Clinton nor Gates, Obama's defence secretary, have said how long

the U.S. mission might last. Nor have they provided any hints about an exit

strategy.

" I don't think anybody knows the answer to that, " Gates told ABC News' " This

Week " when asked about Pentagon speculation that the mission could last for

months.

Gates also conceded that Libya is " not a vital interest to the United States. "

But he added that what transpires in Libya could influence other Arab nations

where the U.S. does have a more significant stake.