WASHINGTON, DC – In mid-March President Barack Obama
promised the American people that U.S. troops would not be on the ground in
Libya as part of the U.N. No-Fly Zone. Today,
less than a month later, U.S. Army General Carter Ham who commanded the joint
U.N. forces in Libya prior to turning control over to NATO said the U.S. might
send troops into Libya.

Ham testified before Congress today
calling the Libyan conflict between U.N. supported rebels and longtime dictator
Moammar Gadhafi a “stalemate.”

General Ham said that added American
participation would not be ideal, and that ground troops could erode the
international coalition, making it more difficult to get Arab support for the
actions against Libya.

Testifying before the Senate Armed
Services Committee Ham was asked if the U.S. would provide troops for a joint
NATO ground force.

Ham said, “I suspect there might be some consideration of that.
My personal view at this point would be that that’s probably not the ideal
circumstance, again for the regional reaction that having American boots on the
ground would entail.”

The stalemate is occurring due to a
change in tactics by Gadhafi whose forces are now staging military forces and
vehicles near civilians, schools and mosques.

When the U.S. transferred control of
the Libyan operation to NATO, Barack Obama made a speech basically
claiming ‘Mission Accomplished.’

The President said, “The United
States has worked with our international partners to mobilize a broad
coalition, secure an international mandate to protect civilians, stop an
advancing army, prevent a massacre, and establish a No Fly Zone with our allies
and partners….Moreover, we have accomplished these objectives consistent with
the pledge that I made to the American people at the outset of our military
operations.

“I said that America’s role would be
limited; that we would not put ground
troops into Libya; that we would focus our unique capabilities on the
front end of the operation, and that we would transfer responsibility to our
allies and partners. Tonight, we are fulfilling that pledge.”

It was not the first time President
Obama promised no troops in Libya. Now,
according to General Ham, that promise may be tossed onto the slag heap of other
broken Obama promises.  Stack it up alongside the promise of transparency, the promise to close Guantanamo Bay, the promise to leave Iraq within one year of being elected….the list goes on and on.  Where is Rep. Joe Wilson when you really need him?

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About John G. Winder

John G. Winder has spent 29 years in the broadcasting industry as an on-air report, General Manager and Executive in both radio & television.

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