Reid spokesman slams Rubio letter

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill:

Sen. Marco Rubio’s call to authorize President Obama to take action to remove Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi would be a "rash" mistake, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday.

In a statement, Reid spokesman Jon Summers said a proposal by Rubio, a Florida Republican, for the Senate to pass a bipartisan resolution supporting American actions to ouster Gadhafi is an "oblivious" idea that would be costly for the United States.

"Senator Rubio seems oblivious to the troops’ lives his plan would put on the line," Summers said in the statement. "His rash suggestions could commit our troops irrevocably to a regime change and nation-building effort that could take months or years and cost billions of taxpayer dollars.

"Moreover, he seems to have forgotten that the Libyan people have made it clear they don’t want foreign boots on the ground," Summers continued. "The Obama Administration rightly recognized that a broad international coalition with limited goals would not only lend legitimacy to an intervention in Libya, but also improve our chances of success and limit the burden on U.S. taxpayers."

Late Wednesday night Rubio sent a letter to Senate leaders and other top foreign policy senators urging passage of a resolution authorizing President Obama to take action to remove Gadhafi from power.

Recently Rubio has called for increasing U.S. involvement in the multinational effort to enforce a United Nations Security Council resolution to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya and protect Libyan civilians from the country's military, which is led by Gadhafi.

On Wednesday, media outlets reported that Obama authorized covert aid to Libyan rebels but the Obama administration has not confirmed those reports.
________

This is already a big enough mess without Rubio playing armchair warrior. If this ends badly and Rubio is on record as supporting it, that could kill any Presidential shot he might have.