Question for DU experts on the Libya -US relationship under Bushco

[malaise]

Is it true that more than a few ReTHUG politicians enjoyed trips and gifts and their consultants made gazillions of dollars from the relationship with Gadaffi?
That would explain the craziness going on!

[leveymg]

1. McCain was all buddy-buddy with Gadhafi

for a while after Gadhafi took the DC deal in 2002.

In late May 2001, then Undersecretary of State Richard Armitage revealed in an interview in Murdoch's Times of London that AQ Khan had for two decades been peddling used Pakistani centrifuges to half the Muslim world, including Libya, Iraq, and Iran.

With the details provided by Gadhaffi, that presented the Bush team with multiple opportunities for Cassus Belli, particularly against Iraq. Why Iraq, instead of Iran? For a while there, in mid-2002, there seemed to have been some debate about that target choice, but in the end Iraq was chosen, probably because it seemed the easier target.

The necons in Washington didn't much care about contrary intelligence that Iraq had effectively destroyed its AQ Khan-provided nuclear program after the First Gulf War, and steamrollered over the voices within CIA who tried to point that out. That's the background to the Plame Affair. Please, see, http://www.dailykos.com/... Just to cover both bets, the Pentagon OSP worked with the Mossad Chief of Station in DC to salt Pentagon files with Iran WMD - the was the OSP-AIPAC case for which Col. Franklin (but no one else, including Jane Harman who "waddled in" to the case) went to federal prison for a short while. Oddly, Harman is now mentioned as possible choice as CIA Director! But, I digress . . .

Until the Bush team departed, Libya was a State Department approved business and rendition destination. McCain went there himself in 2009 and had a ho-down at Muammar's "ranch." I recall McCain said about his host that Gadhaffi was a pillar of the US anti-terrorism effort (that, if true, may say something about both) But, beware of American emissaries bearing gifts and flattery. Trusting such facile praise was a mistake that Manuel Noriega and Saddam Hussein also made.

[malaise]

7. That's what I thought

I know I read about this

[sabrina 1]

2. No, it wasn't just Republicans. Both parties were engaged with Gadaffi. His son eg, was welcomed

to the State Dept by Hillary Cliinton herself. There are plenty of photos all over the internet of members of both parties, meeting with Gadaffi. Also in the Embassy Cables you can find out what the attitude of both the Bush and Obama administrations were towards Gadaffi. Basically they were always negotiating with him over Oil and Businesses being established in Libya.

In the end, it was France who wanted him gone. We just joined our allies in Europe to make it happen. It was a huge mistake. Mainly for the people of Libya.

[leveymg]

4. About France being the moving party to do away with Gadhaffi, please post a source. Thanks!

[sabrina 1]

9. Sarkozy whose history with Libya and Gadaffi, goes back a long way, was a driver of the invasion

of Libya.

Is Libya Sarkozy's De Gaulle moment?

First of all, he (Sarkozy) went out on a limb in officially recognising the Libyan opposition.

Then he corralled the international coalition, pushed through the no-fly UN resolution, and bombed Muammar Gaddafi's tanks outside Benghazi.


This is a country with a very high view of its own mission in the world. But the opportunities for gunboat humanitarianism are not frequent, and up to now it has been Washington that has led the way.

This time it is France doing what the French believe France is supposed to do, thanks to a president who may be impetuous - but at least knows how to act.

There was a lot more to the reasons why France especially, despite Sarkozy's former friendship with Gadaffi, pushed for the invasion of Libya. The history is long, and would take a long time to document here, but there is a lot of information available online.

Reports eg, that France was having meetings with what they would later call 'the rebel leader's before the protests even began in Libya, protests which were most likely instigated, expatriots from Libya living outside the country.

Things are generally not what they seem, but early on people began to suspect that this was no grass roots uprising.

The old Imperialists, had to stop Africa from thriving on their own among other things.

[leveymg]

11. The influential role of French "Left" neocons, e.g., Bernard-Henri Levy, is crucial to

understanding how France has come reassert its presence in MENA under both Sarkozy and his Socialist Party successor. Please, see, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-gardels/behind-the-scenes-of-the_b_840946.html

[malaise]

6. True but weren't the ReTHUG boys making

good money

[sabrina 1]

10. Yes, but it seems everyone was making money or trying to, by befriending him.

Liberal leaders like Tony Blair were best friends with him, even Prince Andrew. While he was 'in' everyone was falling all over themselves to spend time with him. He was not stupid, he knew why. His focus was Africa, not just Libya. He wanted to keep the Imperial powers out of Africa. And Africans had a very different view of him than the Western nations. He, eg, totally supported Mandela during Aparthied and is a hero in that part of Africa as a result.

Btw, many US Hollywood stars were only too happy to take his money to perform for his sons. Many of them African Americans, Usher and Beyonce eg.

We do not belong in these countries. And if they had no resources like oil, we would not be.

A few photos of some of the World Leaders who entertained him:



British PM Tony Blair




French President Sarkozy


?


British PM, Gordon Brown



Italian PM, Berlusconi



Left and Right, Liberal and Conservative. He had many friends among world leaders. But how quickly the Western powers turn. Libya was under him, one of the most advanced African nations, very Socialist. Today it is destroyed. But, we got control of our oil that they were sitting on.

[Capt. Obvious]

8. Yeah, but Donald Trump kicked his tent off one of his properties

If he had run this time that would have won the election.

[Are_grits_groceries]

3. Here's a short article about the 3 Blind Amigos:

McCain's Libya Amnesia
In an interview on CBS News, Sen. John McCain twice cited the fact that Moammar Gadhafi has "American blood on his hands" as a reason the U.S. should try to oust the dictator.

However, Salon notes that just 18 months ago McCain "led a delegation of senators including fellow hawks Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman on a trip to visit the Libyan leader in Tripoli. Discussed during the visit was delivery of -- get this -- American military equipment to Gadhafi (a man with American blood on his hands no less)."

"None of which is to say it was wrong to pursue better relations with Libya. But it's ironic that McCain is now citing the fact that Gadhafi has 'American blood on his hands' as a reason to bomb Libya, considering McCain himself met with Gadhafi less than two years ago."
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2011/03/22/mccains_libya_amnesia.html

They have been meddling forever. Who knows what ties they have to different people that can affect things?

[malaise]

5. Thanks

I knew there was a link