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By BEN FELLER, AP White House Correspondent
      


WASHINGTON (AP) -  Defending the first war launched on his watch,
President Barack Obama declared Monday night that the United States
intervened in Libya to prevent a slaughter of civilians that would
have stained the world's conscience and "been a betrayal of who we
are." Yet he ruled out targeting Moammar Gadhafi, warning that
trying to oust him militarily would be a costly mistake.


      Obama announced that NATO would take command over the entire
Libya operation on Wednesday, keeping his pledge to get the U.S.
out of the lead - but offering no estimate on when the conflict
might end.


      He never described the U.S.-led military campaign as a "war"
and gave no details on its costs, but he offered an expansive case
for why he believed it was in the national interest of the United
States and allies to act.


      In blunt terms, Obama said the U.S.-led response had stopped
Gadhafi's advances and halted a slaughter he warned could have
shaken the stability of an entire region.


      "To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader and - more
profoundly - our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under
such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are,"
Obama said. "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 refused to wait for the images of
slaughter and mass graves before taking action."


      Obama spoke to a respectful military audience at the National
Defense University after, in Libya, rebel forces bore down Monday
on Gadhafi with the help of airstrikes by the U.S.-led forces. 


The
address to the nation was the president's most aggressive attempt
to answer the questions mounting from Republican critics, his own
party and war-weary Americans - chiefly, why the U.S. was immersed
in war in another Muslim nation.


      Amid protests and crackdowns across the Middle East and North
Africa, Obama stated his case that Libya stands alone. 


"In this
particular country, at this particular moment, we were faced with
the prospect of violence on a horrific scale," he said.


      He also warned of the broader implications for the region,
without naming the other countries undergoing violent upheaval.


      Citing a failure to act in Libya, he said: "The democratic
impulses that are dawning across the region would be eclipsed by
the darkest form of dictatorship, as repressive leaders concluded
that violence is the best strategy to cling to power. The writ of
the U.N. Security Council would have been shown to be little more
than empty words, crippling its future credibility to uphold global
peace and security."


      Obama took pains to say why he chose to intervene in Libya even
while acknowledging that America's military cannot be used to stamp
out every instance of repression.


      "There will be times when our safety is not directly
threatened, but our interests and values are," the president said.


      "Sometimes, the course of history poses challenges that
threaten our common humanity and common security. ... These may not
be America's problems alone, but they are important to us, and they
are problems worth solving," Obama said. "And in these
circumstances, we know that the United States, as the world's most
powerful nation, will often be called upon to help."


      The president also sought to address critics who have said the
U.S. mission remains muddled. Indeed, he reiterated the White House
position that Gadhafi should not remain in power but the U.N.
resolution that authorized power does not go that far.


      That gap in directives has left the White House to deal with the
prospect that Gadhafi will remain indefinitely. Obama said the U.S.
would try to isolate him other ways.


      "Broadening our military mission to include regime change would
be a mistake," Obama said. "If we tried to overthrow Gadhafi by
force, our coalition would splinter. We would likely have to put
U.S. troops on the ground or risk killing many civilians from the
air. The dangers faced by our men and women in uniform would be far
greater. So would the costs and our share of the responsibility for
what comes next."


      And then he raised the issue of Iraq, a war that deeply divided
the nation and defined the presidency of George W. Bush. 


"Regime
change there took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi
lives and nearly a trillion dollars," Obama said. "That is not
something we can afford to repeat in Libya."


      "We must always measure our interests against the need for
action. But that cannot be an argument for never acting on behalf
of what's right," the president said. "In this particular country
- Libya - at this particular moment, we were faced with the
prospect of violence on a horrific scale."

Gallery

Libyan rebels close on key Gadhafi stronghold

NATO deal on Libya doesn't mean quick exit for US

Gadhafi vows 'long war' as strikes hit his forces

Politics and Government News

Defending the first war launched on his watch,
President Barack Obama declared Monday night that the United States
intervened in Libya to prevent a slaughter of civilians that would
have stained the world's conscience and "been a betrayal of who we
are."

Obama strongly defends US military action in Libya

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