Vigorously defending American military intervention in Libya, President Barack Obama said failure to act would have carried a far "greater price" for the US and also led to a "slaughter" of civilians in the north African nation.
Noting that the US has an important "strategic interest" in preventing Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi from overrunning those who oppose him, Obama also declared," we have stopped Gaddafi's deadly advance."
At the same time, Obama in his first address to the nation since launching cruise missiles and airstrikes 10 days ago ruled out targeting Gaddafi citing the Iraqi experience, warning that trying to oust him militarily would be a costly mistake.
"I, along with many other world leaders, have embraced that goal, and will actively pursue it through non-military means. But broadening our military mission to include regime change would be a mistake," Obama said in his speech that lasted for 27 minutes. He, however, said "there is no question that Libya and the world will be better off with Gaddafi out of power."
The President also said the NATO alliance will take command of the military operations currently underway in Libya on Wednesday.
"While I will never minimise the costs involved in military action, I am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would have carried a far greater price for America," he said.
"To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader, and more profoundly our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances, would have been a betrayal of who we are. Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action," he asserted.
"Mindful of the risks and costs of military action, we are naturally reluctant to use force to solve the world's many challenges. But when our interests and values are at stake, we have a responsibility to act. That is what happened in Libya over the course of these last six weeks."
The US President said confronted by brutal repression and a looming humanitarian crisis by the Gaddafi regime, he ordered warships into the Mediterranean.
Delving in detail on the miltiary action in battle-torn Libya, Obama said "Tonight, I can report that we have stopped Gaddafi's deadly advance."
America has an important strategic interest in preventing Gaddafi from overrunning those who oppose him, he added.
A massacre would have driven thousands of additional refugees across Libya's borders, putting enormous strains on the peaceful -- yet fragile -- transitions in Egypt and Tunisia, he remarked.
