Keith Olbermann points out the rank hypocrisy we've seen from the Republicans such as Marco Rubio, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann after the announcement of Muammar Qaddafi’s death.
From TPM -- Republicans Thank Everyone But Obama For Stopping Qaddafi:
Top Republicans are starting to weigh in on Muammar Qaddafi’s death and one consistent theme is quickly emerging: Barack who?
Mitt Romney, appearing on a radio program in Iowa, said it couldn’t come soon enough.
“I have seen those reports and if accurate I think the response is it’s about time,” he said. “This was a tyrant who has been killing his own people and of course is responsible for the lives of American citizens lost in the Lockerbie attack….I think people across the world recognize that the world is a better place without Muammar Qaddafi.” [...]
Rick Perry hailed Qaddafi’s death, but also left out any mention of the president’s decision to attack the dictator’s forces from his comments.
“The death of Muammar el-Qaddafi is good news for the people of Libya,” he said in a statement. “It should bring the end of conflict there, and help them move closer to elections and a real democracy. The United States should work closely with Libya to ensure the transition is successful, and that a stable, peaceful nation emerges. The U.S. must also take an active role in ensuring the security of any remaining stockpiles of Qaddafi’s weapons. These weapons pose a real danger to the United States and our allies, and we cannot help secure them through simple observation.”
One prominent Republican went out of the way to give Europe credit instead. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told FOX News “Today’s not a day to point fingers” when asked about America’s role in Qaddafi’s death, before saying France and England were really the ones responsible for deposing the dictator. He later issued a statement thanking “American and NATO forces” for the victory.
Update: Ben Smith notes that a surprising number of Republicans aren’t even thanking US troops for the outcome.
As Keith Olbermann reminded us, one of the critics today, John McCain has been all over the charts when it comes to supporting the dictator as recently posted here -- After Sucking Up to Gaddafi, McCain and Lieberman Were Happy to Call for His Head.
And PoliticusUSA has more on the Republican hypocrisy here -- With The Death Of Gaddafi, Obama Again Makes Fools Of His GOP Critics.
