On the Radar: March 21, 2011

Obama Takes Hard Line With Libya After Shift by Clinton
By Helene Cooper and Steve Lee Myers, The New York Times
In a Paris hotel room on Monday night, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton found herself juggling the inconsistencies of American foreign policy in a turbulent Middle East. She criticized the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates for sending troops to quash protests in Bahrain even as she pressed him to send planes to intervene in Libya. Read more

Airstrikes in Libya; Questions Back Home
By Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times
President Obama’s decision to authorize military strikes against Libya exposed him to another set of political crosscurrents from right and left and further complicated his plan to keep his agenda focused on the domestic economy. Read more

Now that U.S., allies have attacked Libya, what are the goals?
By Mark Seibel, Nancy A. Youssef and Roy Gutman, McClatchy Newspapers
With U.S., British and French forces now fully engaged in attacking Moammar Gadhafi's military in Libya from the air and sea, and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff declaring that a no-fly zone is now in effect, the question becomes: How does this end? Read more

Target in Libya Is Clear; Intent Is Not
By Helene Cooper and David Sanger, The New York Times
All the deliberations over what military action to take against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya have failed to answer the most fundamental question: Is it merely to protect the Libyan population from the government, or is it intended to fulfill President Obama’s objective declared two weeks ago that Colonel Qaddafi “must leave”? Read more

International Support Precedes Obama’s Shift on Attacking Libya
By Nicole Gaouette and Julianna Goldman, Bloomberg
President Barack Obama walked into the White House Situation Room on March 15, concerned that Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi was crushing his country’s rebellion and seeking ways to stop him from killing his people. Read more

Letting others lead in Libya
By Doyle McManus, The Los Angeles Times
At first glance, it looks as if the Obama administration has executed a sudden turnabout in its attitude toward military intervention in Libya. Two weeks ago, U.S. officials were talking about all the reasons a no-fly zone was a bad idea; now, they're all for it. Read more

President Underscores Similarities With Brazilians, but Ignores One
By Alexei Barrionuevo and Jackie Calmes, The New York Times
From a visit to this city’s most infamous slum to a national address amid the gilded elegance of a celebrated theater, President Obama on Sunday sought to underscore the shared histories and futures of the United States and Brazil, reaching out to the people of one of the most racially diverse countries in the Americas. Read more

Taking a Long Look at Nuclear Safety
By Coral Davenport, National Journal
Among the most dramatic discrepancies between the U.S. and Japanese responses to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster were the evacuation zones. Read more

That Budget ‘Battle’? Only a Skirmish
By John Harwood, The New York Times
Think of Washington’s initial 2011 budget fights as spring training — for a season about to open in a hailstorm. Twice, Congress and the Obama White House have agreed on temporary spending bills that trim spending and keep the government open. Last week’s version averted a shutdown, at least until April 8. Read more

You Can't Be Serious
By John Dickerson, Slate
It's hard to take anyone seriously in politics these days. It's not that the politicians have gotten sillier—though an outbreak is always possible; it's that they talk about being serious so much, the word has lost all meaning. Read more

Posted: Mon, 03/21/2011 - 2:58pm