Obama: Mission in Libya is Succeeding

March 26, 2011

US President Barack Obama delivers his weekly address, March 26, 2011

President Barack Obama says the military mission by the United States and its allies to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly zone in Libya is working. The president plans to speak to the American people late Monday about the operation.

President Obama says that one week into the mission, U.S. and allied forces are successfully protecting civilians from attacks by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

"We are succeeding in our mission," he said. "We have taken out Libya’s air defenses. Gadhafi’s forces are no longer advancing across Libya. In places like Benghazi, a city of some 700,000 that Gadhafi threatened to show ‘no mercy,’ his forces have been pushed back."

In his weekly address to the nation, Obama said the joint effort is showing results, and Libyan civilians have expressed gratitude.

"Because we acted quickly, a humanitarian catastrophe has been avoided and the lives of countless civilians - innocent men, women and children - have been saved," he said.

The president’s message was intended to reassure Americans about the purpose and effectiveness of the mission in Libya.

A Gallup opinion poll taken Monday shows 47 percent of Americans approve of the operation, while 37 percent disapprove. Separately, a CBS survey indicates that 50 percent of Americans agree with Obama’s handling of the situation, while 29 percent do not. Gallup says its approval figure was lower than for other U.S. military campaigns in the past four decades.