I'm part of a small minority on the left who think that President Obama made a mistake by going into Libya. I think it is a shame to see the United States once again trying to play policeman to the world while our own infrastructure crumbles and we continue to destroy valuable social programs at home because we supposedly cannot afford them. It isn't that I would prefer complete isolationism, but I think we need to do a much better job of taking care of ourselves at home before we go to war in country after country.

My reservations about Libya do not stem from a desire to see Obama defeated. It is true that I found myself unable to support him once he decided to interfere with investigations of his predecessors for war crimes. I wrote at the time that he lost his moral authority with that move, and I maintain that position. But my opposition to the U.S. waging yet another war is not about Obama.

If we cannot afford to give our own children the best possible education, we cannot afford another war. If we cannot provide universal health care to our citizens, we cannot afford another war. If we cannot boast a solid infrastructure and an expanding middle class, we cannot afford another war. We cannot afford another war. Regardless of whether you think our other wars were right or wrong, it is difficult to deny that they have taken a great toll in loss of life, money, and our global standing.

I do not buy the argument that we bear some sort of moral obligation to intervene in Libya no matter what. We no longer have the luxury of being the world cop. Besides, we have lots of practice turning a blind eye to genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, and poverty (especially in Africa especially when oil is not involved). The argument in such cases is usually that we cannot afford to do everything for everyone. If that's true, what makes Libya so different?

Perhaps I could support the action in Libya if President Obama demonstrated real leadership by explaining his rationale and calling for a war tax. But until then, it is difficult to see how this war does anything other than dig us deeper into the hole from which we have beeb unable to escape.

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