Tom Ricks

When America intervened in Libya, we were told we were doing so for humanitarian reasons. President Obama declared “some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refuse to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.” This sounds like as noble a reason as any to commit the nation to a military engagement; but, is it a realistic one?

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are expected to go to the polls on Sunday for the nation's first full parliamentary elections since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. But with violence that some see as scare tactics possibly preventing the delivery of democracy, some in Iraq wonder if the U.S. forces should be extending their stay. Yesterday on CNN Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hinted at the possibility of asking the American military to stay in the country, but Gen. David Petraeus seems to be holding fast to the goal of an August transition.