Daily Kos

If only Obama had acted like the GOP, like the metaphorical bull in a china shop (*), then Libya would've been a success as quickly as ... uh, Iraq and Afghanistan? John McCain:

Americans can be proud of the role our country has played in helping to defeat Qaddafi, but we regret that this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the United States to employ the full weight of our airpower.

It's kind of hard to employ the full weight of our armed forces when they're bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq. Remember those wars, John? Engaging in elective wars sure makes fighting morally justifiable ones much more difficult.

Ultimately, the air power employed by NATO was enough to degrade Gaddafi's forces while the rebels got their shit together. And they did, performing acts of unbridled courage and heroism. I can't wait to read full accounts of how the rebels broke the siege of Misrata, or how they barely held on to Benghazi those first early days of the revolution before NATO got involved.

Suffice it to say, we all know where McCain originally stood in all this: bowing to Gaddafi.

While I don't believe American support was determinative to this successful outcome, it certainly played a helpful role. And that's the difference between the GOP—that thinks that Americans should lord it over the entire world, and Democrats—who believe that we should work within international institutions to lend support whenever we can.

Had they been in charge, Republicans would've certainly found some way to fuck this up. Their track record is pretty clear about that.

(*) Bulls actually do quite well in china shops.