Obama Slams Clinton’s Libya Record

Today In His United Nations Address, Obama Harshly Criticized Clinton’s Libya Policy, Comparing It To The Iraq Invasion. OBAMA: “In such efforts, the United States will always do our part. We will do so mindful of the lessons of the past. Not just the lessons of Iraq, but also the example of Libya, where we joined an international coalition under a UN mandate to prevent a slaughter. Even as we helped the Libyan people bring an end to the reign of a tyrant, our coalition could have and should have done more to fill a vacuum left behind. We’re grateful to the United Nations for its efforts to forge a unity government. We will help any legitimate Libyan government as it works to bring the country together. But we also have to recognize that we must work more effectively in the future as an international community to build capacity for states that are in distress before they collapse.” (Barack Obama, Remarks At The United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY, 9/28/15)

  • Obama: “In Such Efforts, The United States Will Always Do Our Part. We Will Do So Mindful Of The Lessons Of The Past. Not Just The Lessons Of Iraq, But Also The Example Of Libya…” OBAMA: “In such efforts, the United States will always do our part. We will do so mindful of the lessons of the past. Not just the lessons of Iraq, but also the example of Libya, where we joined an international coalition under a UN mandate to prevent a slaughter.” (Barack Obama, Remarks At The United Nations     General Assembly, New York, NY, 9/28/15)

Obama: “Even As We Helped The Libyan People Bring An End To The Reign Of A Tyrant, Our Coalition Could Have And Should Have Done More To Fill A Vacuum Left Behind.” (Barack Obama, Remarks At The United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY, 9/28/15)

  • Obama: “But We Also Have To Recognize That We Must Work More Effectively In The Future As An International Community To Build Capacity For States That Are In Distress Before They Collapse.” (Barack Obama, Remarks At The United Nations     General Assembly, New York, NY, 9/28/15)



Clinton “Was The Public Face” Of The Libyan Intervention And “Thought It Would Be Her Signature Achievement”

The 2011 Intervention Into Libya Was Dubbed “Hillary’s War.” (Joby Warrick, “Hillary’s War: How Conviction Replaced Skepticism In Libya Intervention,” The Washington Post, 10/30/11)

Clinton “Was The Public Face Of The U.S. Intervention” Into Libya In 2011. “But she’ll face a broader challenge in what’s become of the North African country since, as secretary of state in 2011, she was the public face of the U.S. intervention to push out its longtime strongman, Moammar Gadhafi.” (Stephen Collinson, “Hillary Clinton’s Real Libya Problem,” CNN, 6/8/15)

  • “When [Gaddafi] Was Toppled, She Thought It Would Be Her Signature Achievement As Secretary Of State. Yet As That Country Has Disintegrated Into Chaos, It’s No Longer A Point Of Emphasis.” “On Libya, she gets a bum rap from Republicans who hold her responsible for the killing of Americans in Benghazi two years ago. But she was the champion of American intervention in Libya to overthrow Muammar Qaddafi. When he was toppled, she thought it     would be her signature achievement as secretary of state. Yet as that     country has disintegrated into chaos, it’s no longer a point of emphasis.” (Albert M. Hunt, Op-Ed, “Calculating Hillary Gets The Math Wrong,” Bloomberg, 8/12/14)