Absolutely true. In fact, it looks like an overwhelming majority of his countrymen would be ecstatic if only given the chance to love him to death.
He appears to have developed a remarkable method of proving the love of his people. Point a gun at somebody and ask, "Do you love me?" Followed by, "Would you die for me?" And, surprise, your approval rating ends up somewhere in the high 90's.
The thing that I find "most surprising" about this is that anyone is surprised by the fact that he is (again) using force to stay in power. He came to power in a coup. He has sponsored terrorism in the past. He killed something like 1200 people in one fell swoop a few years ago (the act that gave rise to at least some of the organized resistance against him now) . . . but people are shocked and appalled that he is using force now.
ReplyDeleteCWD
Is the shock real or feigned?
ReplyDeleteRecall that Gadhafi was supposed to exemplify Bush's 'victory' in the GWOT, with his voluntarily abandoning his "WMD programs", ending sponsorship of terrorism, engaging with the west, and opening his country to western investment.
Consistent though they may be with his past, if the response to his actions is anything but "Who could have expected this," the Bush Administration's self-praise and Tony Blair's embrace of Gadhafi start to look... is "ugly" the word? Like a sham meant, on one side, to lay false claim to 'victory' and on the other side to get access to western money and weaponry.