Col. Gaddafi, maximum leader of Libya, understands what the Democrats do not: American resolve and action make a difference.
Col Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, called yesterday on other "rogue states" to follow his dramatic example, by admitting involvement in banned weapons programmes, if they were to prevent "tragedy" from striking their nations.He sidestepped direct questions about whether the war in Iraq had influenced his decision to scrap nuclear, biological and chemical research, saying his motives were "not important".
But his stark warning to other "rogue" states appeared to offer endorsement of Washington's and London's policy of diplomacy backed by pre-emptive strikes.
Asked if he had a message for other leaders, especially the heads of Syria, Iran and North Korea, he replied: "They should follow the steps of Libya, or take an example from Libya, so that they prevent any tragedy being inflicted upon their own peoples."
via The Telegraph (UK)
Pundit William Safire says the Libyan agreement is clear evidence that President Bush's plans are working, and that the implications for Old Europe are just sinking in.
As American tanks began to roll through Iraq to overthrow Saddam, Libya's longtime terrorist, Moammar Gadhafi, came up with a strategy to avoid being next on the regime-change list: pre-emptive surrender.Posted by Alan at December 24, 2003 12:03 AMNobody calls it that, of course. Diplomats and doves want to treat the dictator's epiphany as the result of patient negotiation stretching back for decades. Some Republicans claim he was softened up by a bomb dropped his way in the Reagan years. But three years after that, his terrorists murdered 270 people in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
Subsequent sanctions led to economic pain and the threat of a coup. After acknowledging Libyan responsibility, he has been trying to get U.S. oil companies back by promising to pay damages to the families of his victims.
That was not what caused this tyrant suddenly to confess to buying and developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, and to promise to reveal all to inspectors. He was transformed into a pussycat by the force of American arms in stopping the spread of mass-destruction weaponry.
Why did Gadhafi have his spy chief, Musa Kussa, approach Britain's Tony Blair -- and not France, Germany or the milquetoast United Nations, to get off George W. Bush's short list of rogue nations? The reason: Britain was America's primary ally in the war against Saddam and was the bridge to Washington. This shows that it pays to be the staunch friend of the United States in extending freedom and does not increase a nation's strategic importance to be America's political adversary.
via the Houston Chronicle