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President Obama On The Death of Moammar Qaddafi

"One of the longest serving dictators is no more", said President Obama on the death of Moammar Qaddafi today in a White House rose garden speech.

"This is a momentous day in the history of Libya." 

In March of this year the president, delivering remarks to the Nation on Libya at the National Defense University in Washington said, "For more than four decades, the Libyan people have been ruled by a tyrant – Moammar Qaddafi. He has denied his people freedom, exploited their wealth, murdered opponents at home and abroad, and terrorized innocent people around the world – including Americans who were killed by Libyan agents."

The president authorized military action to stop the killing and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

In a March, 2011 Weekly Address, President Obama said the mission in Libya " is succeeding".

Noting that Qaddafi called the people of Libya 'rats', the president, upon learning that the Libyan leader had been killed  said "the dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted."

"And with this enormous promise, the Libyan people now have a great responsibility -- to build an inclusive and tolerant and democratic Libya that stands as the ultimate rebuke to Qaddafi’s dictatorship.  We look forward to the announcement of the country’s liberation, the quick formation of an interim government, and a stable transition to Libya’s first free and fair elections.  And we call on our Libyan friends to continue to work with the international community to secure dangerous materials, and to respect the human rights of all Libyans –- including those who have been detained.

Video has surfaced of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as she receives what she believed to be the 'unconfirmed' news of the death of Qaddafi.

"We've had a lot of those", Clinton said, almost dismissing the information.



Clinton visited the region earlier where she met with the Transitional National Council's Chairman and with the country's senior most leaders. She also visited the University of Libya.

"When I was appointed Ambassador to Libya, one of the most exciting prospects I looked forward to was speaking to large audiences of students and hearing their vision for their country's future", said Clinton. "When I arrived, I found that the Qaddafi regime's weighty oppression had thoroughly dimmed Libyan students' vision. His paranoid security apparatus also saw to it that I could never speak to large groups of students."

NATO aircraft struck military vehicles belonging to pro-Qaddafi forces near Sirte at about 8:30 a.m. this morning.

We confirm that all the evils, plus Qaddafi, have vanished from this beloved country," said interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril.

"It's time to start a new Libya, a united Libya," said Jibril. "One people, one future."

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