Where Were Qaddafi's Critics All This Time?
Switzerland has frozen Qaddafi's assets and human rights groups are urging intervention. But where were they a month ago when Qaddafi was just as heinous?
It's been a bad 24 hours for Mu'ammar al-Qadhdhāfi (as Daniel Pipes tells us to spell the name):
The Obama administration has urged that Libya be expelled from the UN Human Rights Council.
Switzerland has frozen his assets.
Human rights groups of various stripes are urging intervention.
It all makes you wonder: where were they a month ago, when Qaddafi was just as heinous as he is today? The answer reminds me of an old story about Washington DC.
There used to be here a restaurant called Dominique's, famous for serving exotic game dishes. Dominique's was very popular with senior officials in the Carter administration. Their patronage made the restaurant fashionable and profitable. In thanks, the owner hung a photograph of President Carter in the foyer. Then came the election of 1980. Carter of course lost. The next day, a visiting reporter noticed that the photo had vanished. The reporter asked the owner what had happened. The owner gave a Gallic shrug. "Nobody likes a loser."
And if Qaddafi were somehow to prevail in this power struggle? It will be fascinating to see how rapidly he returns to full-class membership in the so-called international community.