Obama admits worst mistake of his presidency

(CNN) — President Barack Obama said the worst mistake of his presidency was a lack of planning for the aftermath of the 2011 toppling of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

"Probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya," he said in a Fox News interview aired Sunday.

This is not the first time in recent weeks he has talked about Libya and the NATO-led intervention which resulted in Gadhafi's death in October of that year, months after NATO first intervened.

In a profile published last month in The Atlantic, the President told author Jeffrey Goldberg that British Prime Minister David Cameron became "distracted by a range of other things" after the operation.

Cameron, along with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, took the brunt of Obama's criticism.

Although Obama said he thinks the intervention went as well as it could, he views Libya today as a "mess."

Privately, according to the article, he refers to the troubled state as a "sh*t show."

In a statement to CNN, a National Security Council spokesman tried to qualify Obama's remarks and reassure that the alliance between the United Kingdom and United States remains strong.

"Prime Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the President has had, and we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and essential relationship," NSC spokesman Ned Price said.

In The Atlantic, Obama said he had more faith in Europeans "being invested in a follow-up" given their geographical "proximity" and largely blames their inaction for the "mess."

On Libya, Price said Obama has previously said and continues to believe that "all of us -- including the United States -- could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention."

Price said that the UK has "stepped up on a range of issues," including pressing fellow NATO members to increase defense spending.

In September, Obama also criticized the Libya intervention during a speech before the U.N. General Assembly.

"Our coalition could have and should have done more to fill a vacuum left behind," he had said.

Obama said in the Sunday interview that "saving the economy from a great depression" after the financial crisis in 2008 was his top White House accomplishment.

And -- as he has before -- he said his best day in the White House was when health care reform passed.

"We sat out on the Truman Balcony with all the staff that had worked so hard on it and I, I knew what it would mean for the families that I'd met who didn't have health care," Obama said,

He also recounted that his worst day in the White House was "the day we traveled up to Newtown after Sandy Hook" when 20 children, mostly first-graders, were killed on December 14, 2012 at an elementary school. He spoke at a local prayer vigil two days later.

CNN's Athena Jones, Laura Perez Maestro and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.

solid3:
I don't blame Obama, I blame the Libyan people. They were enjoying but didn't know it was better off for then.

Dem say if person no try two wives, him no go know better one.

aventura:
Blames!!!

That the highest that can come out of it. Someone has just covertly admitted in toppling a sovereignty and no one gets to go to jail.

Charles Taylor is serving 50 years for a lesser crime. Who gets to punish the west?

sLentlover7778:
Obama, please remove Buhari... I promise, you no go regret.

whitecloth:
To regret it is not my problem, I know one day they will surely do, but the point remains have they learned from the past? what are they doing to make sure it won't happen again to other countries.

aventura:
Blames!!!

That the highest that can come out of it. Someone has just covertly admitted in toppling a sovereignty and no one gets to go to jail.

Charles Taylor is serving 50 years for a lesser crime. Who gets to punish the west?

tuale4u:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/10/politics/obama-libya-biggest-mistake/index.html

uduak2016:


Same thing in Nigeria now... Nigerians were at least enjoying some comfort under GEJ, but under Buhari...they are suffering!

GenbIoodykiller:
Obama is a criminal

this has dented US image and distress country now prefer the help of Russia to them.

ApostleT:


Sorry not like GEJ and Buhari.

Libya was a developed country when I visited in 2010. Two years later it's behind Nigeria in development.

GEJ's Nigeria is not very different from Buhari's Nigeria. By 2019 it will be clear who is a better manager. I haven't seen any change in the Nigeria political class just a bunch of men changing names every 4 years and presenting a suitable figurehead as president of the Republic

uduak2016:


Same thing in Nigeria now... Nigerians were at least enjoying some comfort under GEJ, but under Buhari...they are suffering!

abuayman:
Hmmm, Allah ya isa. May God punish Hillary Clinton for that. Too many lies

DaBullIT:
I do not blame Obama, i do not think he's apologizing , and i do not believe given the chance USA won't oust Libyan President over again



Admittedly Qaddafi ruled over his people with iron hand because he understood their mentality , He was the man who could do the job and all he could do to retain that power over them is through what the world percieved as tyranny

Hhe gassed villages, used napalm bombs on his citizens , kidnapped and executed people at will, not because he was power drunk but because those people were perceived as a threat , If there's one Judas in 12 , imagine how many Judases are in 100 or 1000 or 1000000


His people hid under the cover of ICJ , the Hague , Amnesty international , they documented what he was doing and eventually brought war on that country

US had to respond ,because we have NATO,WHO,ALLIED PACTS e.t.c for a reason IF US didn't respond they'll say it's the west giving the president the power ,


Now that he's gone , the 1's out of 12's have taken over , the country is still being pillaged and it's a terror haven for now



I can relate this issue to the IPOB issue , Buhari detained someone and people are showing Amnesty pictures and videos to try Buhari

Nigerian Army under Jonathan did the same to Boko Haram , people started saying the army were massacering innocent people


My point is people who lead the country often have a fair knowledge of what they are doing

Soldiers wouldn't have murdered people (if they did) if Boko haram sympathizers were not sabotaging the efforts and those who were looting didn't help the case


IPOB members wouldn't have been shot ( if they were really shot) if they stayed at home and stopped protesting for a man who issued threats to nations

Eventually God forbid , if Buhari is ousted BH will take over , it would be an alliance of Fulanis and Terrorists, their mutual agreement would be to Islamize Nigeria , kill , maim , massacre


If only People will let leaders do what they think is right , afterall leaders have advisers and stuff


Anyway , Gadaffi has passed, it can't be undone