Headline of the week (Foreign Policy Magazine):
European governments “completely puzzled” about U.S. position on Libya
Quote of the week (Hillary Clinton to the G8 foreign ministers.)
“There are difficulties.”
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppel: “Qu’est que c’est?”
In context? Sure.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s meetings in Paris with the G8 foreign ministers on Monday left her European interlocutors with more questions than answers about the Obama administration’s stance on intervention in Libya.
—snip—
Sarkozy told Clinton that “we need action now” and she responded to him, “there are difficulties,” the source said, explaining that Clinton was referring to China and Russia’s opposition to intervention at the United Nations. Sarkozy replied that the United States should at least try to overcome the difficulties by leading a strong push at the U.N., but Clinton simply repeated, “There are difficulties.”
Translation?
OK.
“There are difficulties” involved with:
1-Dealing with the massive suspended hammer of U.S. debt to the Chinese. Don’t want to displease the banker who holds your note, especially when it is long overdue.
2-The U.S. has no more troops to spare. Not without further harming the obviously failing campaign in Afghanistan. Hardware? Naval and air support? Sure, but Obama’s political capital is already seriously overdrawn in the U.S. and in case it has slipped people’s minds, there is a national presidential election campaign coming ’round the bend. Soon. As in…yesterday.
3-Obama himself is a middleman. That is, in any disagreement he takes the center and then waits for the edges to come to some sort of compromise. Make an independent decision himself? We’re still waiting.
“There are difficulties?”
A masterpiece of understatement.
Bet on it.
Translation?
My pleasure.
“Your turn, fellas. We through wid dat shootin’ shit.”
Bet on that as well.
Aerial and seagoing support only.
Watch.
AG
