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A majority of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation and both of the state’s U.S. senators have responded to U.S. military intervention in Libya with extreme skepticism or outright opposition. Both Republicans and Democrats representing Wisconsin have criticized President Obama’s handling of the conflict. This week, the president has struggled to win public support for what he describes as a mission to “prevent a massacre.”

Tripoli, capital of Libya

Today, the U.S. begins the process of handing over command to NATO, which the U.S. will continue to support as a member. In a speech earlier this week, Obama said U.S. forces would shift to a supporting role after spearheading the initial air attacks on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s defenses.

But questions persist on how long and how costly U.S. involvement will be.

Obama explained that earlier this month, when the U.S. joined an international coalition to assault Libyan forces, the intent was to counter attacks on civilians. This country’s role, he said, was to help stop “a looming humanitarian crisis.” Air attacks, largely carried out by the U.S., succeeded in averting a possible genocide in the Libyan city of Benghazi, he added. “We have stopped Gaddafi’s deadly advance.”

But The New York Times reports that even as Obama is pledging limited U.S. involvement in Libya, where “ragtag opposition” is attempting to overthrow Gaddafi, American forces are mounting “an expansive and increasingly potent air campaign.” American pilots are not only countering attacks by the Libyan Army, they’re now providing air cover for the out-matched rebel soldiers, the newspaper said.

Following Obama’s address on Monday, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner issued this caustic statement: “I question how Noble Peace Prize winner, President Obama, who up until last week expressed a much different tone on Libya, now is involving U.S. troops in a large military action … President Obama needed to replace confusion with some certainty tonight, but he failed.  We now have even more questions than answers.”

Muammar Gaddafi

“The message from this administration has been muddled and lacks a clear objective,” freshman Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican, said in a statement. “The President owes Congress and the American people a clear explanation of its goals.”

Freshman Republican Congressman Sean Duffy has so far supported U.S. intervention in Libya but may be wavering. “Basic questions have gone unanswered, and my support for continued American involvement will be contingent upon how those questions are answered,” he said last week. “We have yet to hear what our benchmarks for success are and what the end game is.”

Obama is openly supporting a regime change in Libya but isn’t calling for U.S. forces to be the instrument that brings about such an overhaul. “To be blunt,” he said earlier this week, “we went down that road in Iraq.”

Wisconsin Democrats have been scarcely more supportive of the president. Senator Herb Kohl was the least critical, observing last week, “We must be careful when taking action and avoid overstretching our armed forces as we go about providing our supportive role.”

Protests and a rebel uprising began in Libya after neighboring countries Tunisia and Egypt succeeded in overthrowing unpopular leaders. “The conflict in Libya is similar to what is happening around the Middle East,” Kohl noted. “People want a voice in their future and Americans support that notion.”

tammy baldwin

Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has flatly denounced the intervention, writing on her congressional website that the country has already committed too much to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I oppose this engagement of our military forces,” she wrote. “Congress must exercise its authority to end our engagement in Libya and bring our troops home safely from Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Ron Kind was perhaps the most biting of the Wisconsin Democrats. He told the La Crosse Tribune in a recent interview, “Where is the national security threat? There is a strong regional interest and humanitarian interest. Is that the new standard? I’m concerned about the precedent we’re setting.”

Congresswoman Gwen Moore, a Democrat representing the Milwaukee area, did not respond to NewsBuzz in time for publication.

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