Rubio Criticized The Initial U.S. Response To Libya Saying “When Is That Resolution Going To Happen, After The Bloodbath, In The Middle Of The Bloodbath?” “Senators, in turn, expressed frustration with the lack of progress by the United States in responding to Gadhafi beyond sanctions and warnings, as the U.S. tries to build international consensus for any military intervention. ‘When is that resolution going to happen, after the bloodbath, in the middle of the bloodbath?’ asked Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.” [CNN, 3/17/11] Rubio On The U.S. Response To The Revolution In Libya: “The United States Quite Frankly Looks Weak In This Endeavor.” “Son of Cuban exiles fleeing Fidel Castro, freshman Senator Rubio frames the case for a US military role in Libya as avoiding a bloodbath of innocents. If anything, Obama did not respond swiftly enough to oust Qaddafi, he says. ‘The United States quite frankly looks weak in this endeavor,’ he said at a March 17 hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. ‘The president of the United States has specifically said Qaddafi must go, but has done nothing since saying that, except to have internal debates about it for a week and a half or two,’ he added.” [Christian Science Monitor, 3/22/11] Rubio Said President Obama Was Three Weeks Behind On How They Should Have Reacted To Gadhafi In Libya. “On Wednesday, Rubio said the United States was right to support the no-fly zone in Libya. In an interview with a Miami radio station, Rubio said that if the international community allowed Qaddafi to repress the uprising in his country ‘without any international repercussions, he will have created the blueprint for every other country on how to crush these rebellions.’ The problem, Rubio said, is that Obama waited too long to back up his call for Qaddafi to step down with concrete action. ‘Now we are engaged in a conflict that is going to cost a lot more money and take a lot more time and in which the outcome is a lot less certain,’ he said. The administration ‘should have basically done what they did last Thursday ... three weeks ago.’” [Congressional Quarterly Today, 3/23/11] Rubio Said He Wished That Obama Got Involved In Libya “A Little Bit Sooner.” “Well, I wish he would have done it a little bit sooner, because if he had...this thing would have moved a lot more predictably at a lot lower cost, and -- but the result is, the president was right when he determined that Moammar Gadhafi must go. And you know what? The people of Libya agree with him. And I think we should continue to degrade his ability to attack and kill civilians.” [Your World w/ Neil Cavuto, Fox News, 3/30/11] APRIL 2011 Rubio Said The Obama “Administration Moved Too Slowly In Libya And The Result Now Is Probably The Worse Possible Scenario - A Stale-Mate. During a Pensecola, Florida, town hall meeting in April 2011: “Though most in the audience identified themselves as Republicans, Rubio did not shy away from political and philo-sophical differences between him and the crowd. A few people expressed their dissatisfaction with the United States' recent involvement in Libya, but Rubio - an early supporter of military action in the North African country - reiterated his belief that action is needed. ‘This administration moved too slowly in Libya and the result now is probably the worse possible scenario - a stale-mate,’ Rubio said. ‘We can't go around and get involved in every conflict, but we do have a role to play.’” [Pensacola News Journal, 4/27/11] AUGUST 2011 Rubio Said President Obama’s Libya Policy “Was Too Late To Come To A Coherent Policy.” “Well, unfortunately I think on Libya, the policy was too late to come to a coherent policy even took a very day look. I'm very happy that Moammar Gadhafi is not going to be around in Libya. And I actually think the administration didn't handle that well because they waited too long to move one way or the other. You know where they wanted to go. But they had to make a move early and be decisive. And not doing that actually hasn't allowed this to go on longer. But we should be happy for the people in Libya. The world is going to be a better place that Moammar Gadhafi is not in charge of Libya.” [Hannity, Fox News, 8/23/11] OCTOBER 2011: Rubio Criticized Obama For Getting Involved Too Late During The Revolution In Libya. “The emergence of 30 somad militias, not all of them good guys, many of whom may be unwilling to lay down their arms. My point is if the U.S. had gotten involved early, aggressively and decisively today would've happened months ago. Libya wouldn't be as destroyed, it wouldn't cost as much money to rebuild them, there wouldn't be as many people dead or injured and there wouldn't be as many militias or rockets missing. So look. It's great that it turned out well, but there are consequences. Sometimes you don't just have to do the right thing. You have to do the right thing at the right time and I think this administration failed to do that. That was my criticism of it, but that's in the past so I think we have a chance to move forward.” [Rubio Media Availability on Jobs, 10/20/11] Rubio Said If The U.S. Went Into Libya Earlier There Would Have Been Less Destruction And Less Deaths. “My point is if the U.S. had gotten involved early, aggressively and decisively, today would have happened months ago. Libya would not be as destroyed. It wouldn't cost as much money to rebuild them. There wouldn't be as many people dead or injured and there wouldn't be as many injured or rockets missing. So, look, it great that it turned out well, but there are consequences. Sometimes you don't just have to do the right thing. You have to do the right thing at the right time. And I think this administration failed to do that.” [Breaking News 3pm, CNN, 10/20/11]