Sen. Sessions: Gadhafi Death ‘Victory for Justice,’ but Obama ‘Could Have Moved Quicker’
News of Moammar Gadhafi’s death has prompted some Republicans to acknowledge a victory by President Obama’s foreign policy – but with significant caveats.
On ABC’s “Top Line” today, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., declared the news a “victory for justice,” but also argued that the president could have brought a faster conclusion to the Libyan crisis with faster action early on.
“You live by the sword, you die by the sword, and he’s been one of the more violent people we’ve seen,” said Sessions, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It’ll be a victory for the world? Yes it would be.”
Sessions pointed out that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. John Kerry, R-Ariz., called on the president to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya weeks before the president moved in March.
“By waiting, it does appear that that allowed Gadhafi to regain a foothold in his strength, and it took a lot longer and a lot more people died. So I think real criticism could be that he did not follow immediately the bipartisan recommendation of Sen. Kerry and McCain.”
“Those decisions, if anything, I think they could have moved quicker, and less — it would have been more successful sooner,” Sessions added.