The Obama administration is maintaining a “conspiracy of silence” as anti-American dictatorships come under fire from their own people in the Middle East, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Fox News. The possible presidential candidate also charged the administration is missing an opportunity to replace a dictatorship in Libya.
President Barack Obama has issued statements condemning the violence used against demonstrators in Libya and called on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to show restraint as has Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However, the administration has been criticized for not taking a stronger line in support of the protesters.
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| Newt Gingrich |
“I wish the Obama administration was as enthusiastic about democracy in Libya and in Iran and other countries as it was in Egypt, which is our ally,” Gingrich said in an appearance on Fox and Friends.
“Gadhafi has been our enemy for years. This is an opportunity to replace that dictatorship and I think the United States ought to be firmly on the side of the Libyan people in replacing this administration,” Gingrich added.
Gingrich said that Libya and Iran, two countries that have recently had popular uprisings, are active opponents of the United States. Finding a way to replace those governments would benefit us, but the people in the streets get no U.S. support.
“There’s almost a conspiracy of silence if it’s an anti-America government,” Gingrich said. “If you’re the Iranians, if you are the Libyans, for that matter if you’re the Chinese, you are able to suppress your people and the American government stays quiet.”
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