Richard Carrier Blogs: Is Obama a War Criminal?

Heavens to Betsy!!!! I actually agree with Richard Carrier on something!!!! I'm shocked and happy that he chose to speak out condemning the nonsense that President Obama should be considered a war criminal. I don't agree with everything Obama says and does but I think something had to be done to stop the slaughter of people in Libya. One might even argue that using military force was the best option, but if it wasn't what would have been? I don't know. I liked how Mr Carrier pointed out that Obama's action was not unconstitutional and as I have pointed out in a post of my own other Presidents have done the same thing. I recommend this post because it's well done and articulated well. The one point I have a problem with is that Carrier said that there was nothing we could have done in Rwanda or Bahrain. What about Darfar? I think there must have been something more we could have done to save lives. It's easy to sit back and judge those decisions not having been there and judge who to save and who to let die. I'm sorry but I really think that economics and racism has played a part in making those decisions through out American History. Carrier wrote:

It was thus absolutely necessary for Obama to tip the scales away from Qadaffi's success (it will be a disaster for us if he wins--we need him to fail, in every conceivable sense of the word). Who succeeds him is irrelevant, even if its someone ambivalent or hostile to the U.S. That's because we have bigger interests here: as long as the precedent is not established that Qadaffi's methods will go unhindered and unpunished, and as long as the precedent is set instead that America supports the democracy trend raging through the whole region even when we aren't assured of gaining an ally (and that we will not support, even by acquiescence, any anti-democracy regime's use of violence--not even in Bahrain, where we are otherwise helpless), then the entire balance of power in the region is shifted in America's favor, which will be a great benefit to us in the long run. Because an anti-American party elected into power today will, if democracy is sustained, be voted out eventually. In fact, that's the only way the region ever can move forward toward better relations with the U.S. We need democracy in the region. And we will not have it if we sit idly by and let Qadaffi holocaust his own citizens, and then, by extension, any other ruler who will take the hint and do the same, knowing we'll do nothing about it.

I have to agree with his assessment of why we had to intervene in Libya. The question I have is what about all the precedents where the United States did indeed sit idly by and let ____  holocaust his own citizens, and then, by extension, any other ruler who will take the hint and do the same, knowing we'll do nothing about it.? For there have been many. I don't really have answers for how to do this. It's got to be on a case-by-case basis - true - but who do you save and who do you sacrifice on the altar of American interests? What happens when we have to give an account for that?'

Truth is that Obama is not a war criminal. We live in an age where people make truly stupid judgments without really knowing what they talk about. This is a case in point and Richard Carrier has written a post explaining how stupid mistaken Obama's critics have been, at least on this point. Obama doesn't just get a pass, we need to keep examining his policies just like any other President. Again, he is just a man, whom I would assume, is just trying to do the best job he can. So how should Obama respond to sheer stupid and idiotic comments offered against him? The FacePalm. You can disagree with Obama without being racist or Stupid.

Here is a clip from the Daily Show that was mentioned in Carrier's post:

The Daily Show - Odyssey Dawn - Unconstitutional War
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Richard Carrier Blogs: Is Obama a War Criminal?