Libya

Obama: Gaddafi Must Go

Approves U.S. military airlift of refugees.

Just when it seems the heat on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi couldn’t get any higher, President Obama has again bashed him. "You have seen with great clarity that he has lost legitimacy with his people," Obama said during a White House press conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. "So let me just be very unambiguous about this. Colonel Qaddafi needs to step down from power and leave. That is good for his country. It is good for his people. It's the right thing to do.” Obama added: "It's time for Gaddafi to go." In addition, he said that humanitarian concerns have led him to approve the use of U.S. military planes to airlift Egyptians who are trapped in the country and have fled to the Tunisian border. The administration previously suspended diplomatic relations, seized Libyan assets, and backed sanctions.