Evening Buzz: Love Vs. Hate in Libya
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/WORLD/africa/02/28/libya.gadhafi.interview/t1larg.gadhafi.interview.bbc.jpg caption="Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi tells the BBC and ABC News that he blames al Qaeda for holding the city of Benghazi." width=300 height=169]
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi denied today that there are protests threatening to end his 41-year rule. Gadhafi also denied using force against his people. His message doesn't match the video were seeing from Libya or the eyewitness accounts. The truth is ordinary people are taking to the streets calling for change and risking their lives to speak out.
You don't hear any of that from Gadhafi.
"They love me, all my people with me, they love me all. They will die to protect me, my people," he said in a joint interview with ABC News and the BBC.
They love me?
Tonight on 360°, we'll show you the images that prove that a lot of people in Libya actually hate him.
For two weeks, government forces have repeatedly clashed with demonstrators. At least 1,000 people have been killed in the clashes, according to a U.N. estimate.
Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said Gadafi sounded "delusional" in today's television interview.
"When he can laugh talking to American and international journalists while he is slaughtering his own people, it only underscores how unfit he is to lead and how disconnected he is from reality," she said.
Tonight on 360°, we'll look at the growing pressure put on Gadhafi to step down. The United States is freezing at least $30 billion in Libyan government assets and the U.S. Navy is moving warships closer to Libya. There's also talk of a possible no-fly zone. Will any of that push Gadhafi to give up his power? What other options are there? We'll talk it over with former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark.
There's also questions on who would fill the void if Gadhafi falls. The anti-government rebels and protesters are a diverse group, with different trial ties. There isn't a unified front on what would happen if they win their battle. We'll look at this angle with former CIA officer Bob Baer, who's also an intelligence columnist for TIME.com and Professor Fouad Ajami at John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Join us for these stories and much more starting at 10 p.m. ET. See you then.
|
|
Filed under: Maureen Miller • The Buzz |
About this Show:
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
Subscribe to the podcast
On Twitter
Search the AC360 blog
#1 Well, this kind of "speech" is not new from Gadhafi 🙂
We always make jokes about his interviews and speeches in the Arab world.
#2 Egypt and Tunisia should be able to intervene and help the Libyan people militarily and through humanitarian aid.
Seiffedden W. Keilani
Anderson, you're so funny... LOVED your (controlled)expression when setting up the Charlie Sheen interview.
Gadhafi Is stress and delusional becouse his people want him to step down from power. And we should help libya out.
And I still think it is wrong for him to be killing his people it should stop it's wrong and he should be charged for murder.
Gadhafi must either be delusional or senile or both. It just floors me that he can be in such denial; and it scares me that if he isn't living in the "real" world how many people will he kill living out his delusion?
The make-up of the Libyan government post Gadhafi will be interesting but he isn't gone yet. Let's hope he is gone soon.
Two things of note: #1 this delusion of power will be short lived since the US treasury has frozen 1/3 of the total Libyan Economy
#2 where does this vacuum of power go from here?
I can't figure out if he's delusional, or knows full well what is going on but treats all people, journalists included, as idiots who can be treated as objects and spoken to in any way that fits his needs. Either way, he is a criminal and deserves the death sentence after a full and fair trial...