President Barack Obama stands with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during the transfer of remains ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sept. 14, marking the return to the United States of the remains of the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya (Pete Souza)
President Obama talks with Mario Orosa, a native Ohioan, before dinner at the Smith Commons Dining Room and Public House in Washington, DC, on October 12, 2012. Orosa was one of the three winners of the final “Dinner with Barack” fundraising contest. The winners are Kimberley Cathey, Mario Orosa and Joe Laliberte (UPI/Pete Marovich)
Justice Antonin Scalia needs to resign from the Supreme Court.
…. So often, Scalia has chosen to ignore the obligation of a Supreme Court justice to be, and appear to be, impartial. He’s turned “judicial restraint” into an oxymoronic phrase. But what he did this week, when the court announced its decision on the Arizona immigration law, should be the end of the line.
…. what boggles the mind is that Scalia thought it proper to jump into this political argument. And when he went on to a broader denunciation of federal policies, he sounded just like an Arizona Senate candidate.
…. Scalia should free himself to pursue his true vocation. We can then use his resignation as an occasion for a searching debate over just how political this Supreme Court has become.
Thank you Purpleshoes LA and your 72-year-old Mom!
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NYT: President Obama plans to travel to Colorado on Friday to tour areas devastated by raging wildfires, the White House said on Wednesday. One of the fires, in the foothills near Colorado Springs, has burned 24 square miles, destroyed an unknown number of homes and forced some 26,000 people to evacuate.
Mr. Obama called Gov. John Hickenlooper and Mayor Steve Bach of Colorado Springs, the state’s second-largest city, to get an update on the blaze, known as the Waldo Canyon Fire…
A U.S. flag, pre-Gadhafi flags and a French flag are seen in the background, as Libyans attend Muslim prayers in Benghazi, Libya, April 23
Steven Metz (The New Republic): On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that President Obama, hoping to break the see-saw deadlock between rebel forces and Muammar Qaddafi’s military, had authorized the use of armed Predator drones in Libya. The Predator … is accurate and deadly; it can fly for over 40 hours and carry more than 1,000 pounds of missiles and bombs.
The decision to send these drones was driven by the tactics Qaddafi’s forces have developed to circumvent NATO air strikes, namely intermingling with civilians and moving in unmarked vehicles. Because the drones can linger for long periods of time and have a video feed that allows for more accurate target assessment than conventional bombers, the hope is that they will minimize civilian casualties and prevent the Libyan military from launching quick strikes when NATO aircraft are not around. It might be something of a calculated gamble, but, of the options available, drones seem to be the best tool for the job.
Despite this, the deployment decision immediately provoked new criticism from those already opposed to U.S. involvement in the Libyan conflict. Charges were made of “mission creep,” or a first step toward more heavy engagement, including perhaps the use of ground troops. Other opponents suggested that the use of drones would increase civilian casualties, as it has in Pakistan. Neither of these arguments, however, stands up under scrutiny…..
The use of drones does not enlarge or change the U.S. mission in Libya … it’s the use of new techniques in pursuit of the same objectives.
…Admittedly, armed drones alone will not defeat Qaddafi. That will only happen when the rebels become an effective fighting force. But the drones may help stave off a Qaddafi victory and give the rebels time to become more effective. This is in line with broad U.S. strategy in Libya, which is based on the belief that trends favor the rebels: The longer they avoid defeat, the more they will strengthen, while Qaddafi will only weaken the longer fighting continues. If that theory is correct, then the drones will almost certainly help.
