Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Meanwhile, in Libya

by Aaron Wherry on Thursday, May 26, 2011 1:28pm - 15 Comments

While the NATO mission grinds on, officials confirm that Canadian jets have dropped 240 laser-guided bombs on Libyan targets so far. David Pugliese reported last week that each bomb costs approximately $100,000 and that the Defence Department has ordered another 1,300.

In other news, Foreign Affairs confirms that Canada has been in contact with the Libyan Transitional National Council.

Tags: Canadian Forces, Defence Department, foreign affairs, Libya, Libyan Transitional National Council, military, war

More by Aaron Wherry

Anonymous

I think it’s wonderful that Canada is helping the world and Lybia get rid of this evil dictator. Can somebody please explain to me though, how this mission is different from the war in Iraq?

Anonymous

Well, for one thing, a bloody civil war had not broken out in Iraq prior to the commencement of Western military action. Saddam had not, at that point, started to kill masses of anti-government demonstrators and rebels. It’s rather a different situation.

Anonymous

No you’re right, Saddam had simply been killing masses of his own people without a civil war or anti-government demonstrations. He had used chemical weapons on Kurds, he had massacred Shias in the south following an uprising, and he had destroyed the Marsh Arabs. Very different indeed. Im sure you and all the Iraqis miss Saddam very much.
Anonymous

No you’re right, Saddam had simply been killing masses of his own people without a civil war or anti-government demonstrations. He had used chemical weapons on Kurds, he had massacred Shias in the south following an uprising, and he had destroyed the Marsh Arabs. Very different indeed. Im sure you and all the Iraqis miss Saddam very much.
Anonymous

No you’re right, Saddam had simply been killing masses of his own people without a civil war or anti-government demonstrations. He had used chemical weapons on Kurds, he had massacred Shias in the south following an uprising, and he had destroyed the Marsh Arabs. Very different indeed. Im sure you and all the Iraqis miss Saddam very much.

Anonymous

You clearly have no idea about my attitude and position on the Iraq War. If you’re looking for some lefty peacenik with a sanguine view of Saddam Hussein to have an argument with, you should look elsewhere. I have no illusions regarding how scummy Saddam was.

I do think there are substantive differences between the two situations, and there are important similarities as well. The level of overall international support for military action was clearly higher in the case of Libya, and the level of opposition to an invasion was clearly higher in the case of Iraq. I agree that there’s some element of hypocrisy and inconsistency there when you look at certain people’s justifications for opposing or supporting military action, but I don’t know how useful a comparison of the situations really is. I think you have to look at each situation on its own merits.
Anonymous

You clearly have no idea about my attitude and position on the Iraq War. If you’re looking for some lefty peacenik with a sanguine view of Saddam Hussein to have an argument with, you should look elsewhere. I have no illusions regarding how scummy Saddam was.

I do think there are substantive differences between the two situations, and there are important similarities as well. The level of overall international support for military action was clearly higher in the case of Libya, and the level of opposition to an invasion was clearly higher in the case of Iraq. I agree that there’s some element of hypocrisy and inconsistency there when you look at certain people’s justifications for opposing or supporting military action, but I don’t know how useful a comparison of the situations really is. I think you have to look at each situation on its own merits.
Anonymous

You clearly have no idea about my attitude and position on the Iraq War. If you’re looking for some lefty peacenik with a sanguine view of Saddam Hussein to have an argument with, you should look elsewhere. I have no illusions regarding how scummy Saddam was.

I do think there are substantive differences between the two situations, and there are important similarities as well. The level of overall international support for military action was clearly higher in the case of Libya, and the level of opposition to an invasion was clearly higher in the case of Iraq. I agree that there’s some element of hypocrisy and inconsistency there when you look at certain people’s justifications for opposing or supporting military action, but I don’t know how useful a comparison of the situations really is. I think you have to look at each situation on its own merits.

Anonymous

Well, for one thing, a bloody civil war had not broken out in Iraq prior to the commencement of Western military action. Saddam had not, at that point, started to kill masses of anti-government demonstrators and rebels. It’s rather a different situation.

Anonymous

Smart bombs are much more expensive than dumb bombs, but they’re worth it to minimize civilian casualties.
Anonymous

We always have the bucks to spend on war.
Anonymous

We always have the bucks to spend on war.
http://profiles.google.com/dayofrageindc Joseph Zrnchik

If people think Obama’s Afghan War is bad, wait until they find out the truth about his Libyan War.
Obama’s War On African Development for International Bankers
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/662/062/Obamas_War_On_African_Development.html
http://twitter.com/frogrove frobisher grove

So, $130,000,000 more for blowing stuff up, yet not a penny more for the reconstruction of viable civil institutions in the Middle East. That’s almost 5 times the cost of the per vote subsidy (which itself is less than half the amount pillaged for Tony Clement’s riding).
http://profiles.google.com/joegreen1976 Joe Green

Ezekiel 36-37 predicts a gathering of the Jews to the nation of Israel, which will be followed by a massive invasion by Russia and the Muslims. The stage seems set for the war that will usher in the tribulation and the rise of the Antichrist; a war that will end with the destruction of Israel’s enemies by God Himself when they try to go against Gods chosen people Israel. Accept Christ now and be on the winning side.