Bill Clinton said recently that if U.S. had gone into Rwanda sooner following the start of the 1994 genocide, roughly 300,000 lives could have been saved.
Later on his presidency he ultimately decided (with the U.N.) to intervene in Bosnia and later in Kosovo, so his words have some weight when talking about the current atrocities going on in Syria, where the U.N. announced this week that the death toll there has risen to over 90,000 people, and their leader, Bashar al-Assad, is no longer looking like he's on the ropes.
In an exclusive reported last night, Politico reports about Clinton's remarks to John McCain Tuesday night in New York City, where he said that President Barack Obama should act more forcefully to support anti-Assad rebels in Syria, adding that the American public elects presidents and members of Congress “to see down the road” and “to win.”
Clinton emphasizes that this does not mean putting boots on the ground, but said presidents should be mindful of looking like “a total fool” by over-interpreting public opinion polls about whether the U.S. should intervene overseas.
This begs the question (especially after our intervention in Libya last year): if not now, when? The rebels may be in disarray, but on a moral level, can't the U.S. so more than sitting (almost) completely on the sidelines?
Both the Times & the Tribune have put that AAA study on distracted driving on their front pages this morning.
In case you've forgotten about it, President Obama will decide later this year on whether or not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and environmental activists say they will engage in the largest acts of non-violent protest if the president ops to okay the controversial pipeline. The groups involved say they will hold events this summer around the country - including in Tampa - to prepare activists to protest if Obama says yes to Canada.
And read all about the "Bro Bowl" in Tampa has being given historical designation status - and how the skateboarding community is ambivalent about that declaration.