I look forward to the author's next book, "Obama, Warrior" .. or "Obama, Golf, War or Diplomacy?", Now maybe Obama understands why previous US governments behaved the way they did, there is only one way to deal with some folks.

It was all so easy throwing barbs form the sidelines, but now he's in the fray, Obama does exactly the same as President GW Bush did.

You do what needs to be done, even if it is not perfect.

the author must be one of the only liberal voices calling for Gaddafi to be left alone. All of Obama's "let's talk to them" type diplomacy has gained nothing.

Lot's of people have wanted to kick Gaddafi for years and regardless of human rights issues, humanitarian issues, this man has humiliated and been a complete pain in the butt to the west, so please excuse a little human nature in the kicking of his butt.

Some people think this has not gone far enough, if the US wanted him dead, he would be.

The UN once again, cannot satisfy everyone and is a tool for those who can manipulate it best .. sometimes good, sometimes not so good.

...Marjorie Cohn’s comments are correct, but unfortunately are tempered with the equation of economic survival, which is; “the objective will be inverted over the subjective to equal the necessity of reality”...oil.

Hasn't the US already caused themselves enough heartache trying to achieve regiem change in other countries regardless of how valid the cause is?

Yet another campaign where the US will be responsible for dead civilians in an arab nation with the risk of the usual flow on's. Do the extremists really need more recruit's?

The USA has enough on it's plate, it's time for a different approach.

R0bert

It's easy to dismiss articles like this as traditional bleeding-heart liberal whimper, but there is a genuine problem lurking under the surface of this plea to stop the bombing.

The present actions are being conducted under the United Nations R2P doctrine. R2P has at its heart the lessons of Rwanda, where, as the author points out, "myriad lives" could have been saved by more decisive action.

Unfortunately, this "cure" leaves loopholes the size of Texas for governments to walk through.

Noam Chomsky pointed this out in his address to the UN in 2009 which - despite the reputation of its author - deserves re-visiting. He draws attention to the findings of the International Court of Justice in the Corfu Channel Case, back in 1946.

http://www.iilj.org/courses/documents/CorfuChannel.UnitedKingdomv.Albania.pdf

"The Court can only regard the alleged right of intervention as the manifestation of a policy of force, such as has, in the past, given rise to most serious abuses and such as cannot, whatever be the present defects in international organization, find a place in international law. Intervention is perhaps still less admissible in the particular form it would take here; for, from the nature of things, it would be reserved for the most powerful States, and might easily lead to perverting the administration of international justice itself."

The problem that this judgment illuminates is still with us today, and no amount of macho chest-beating that "evil must be punished" will make it go away. Thucydides said it best, around 415 BC

"...we shall not trouble you with specious pretences... and make a long speech which would not be believed... since you know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0200:book=5:chapter=89:section=1

A balance between unwarranted aggression and humanitarian intervention has yet to be reached, and we would do well to keep reminding ourselves of this. Particularly as it looks likely that there will be a number of similar cases to evaluate in the months ahead.

Obama lied, kids died! Where are all the street protestors now?

I'm waiting for the effigies of Gillard and Obama to be burned in the upcoming huge street marches.

War Criminals!

oh the outrage ..

imagine if this was Howard and Bush .. exactly the same situation, but change those 2 people.. ask yourself lefties .. would it be the same, or would you be sneering as you read this?

it's OK to hate .. let it all gooooooooo.