Why didn't Gaddafi go into exile in Switzerland?

[occupyeverywhere]

Or someplace. Live off all his stashed wealth in a neutral country, chase models and eat chocolate.

[teddy51]

1. Makes one wonder doesn't it? My guess is that he truly thought that

he was invincible.

[ellisonz]

2. Because he was a blood thirsty arrogant bastard...

Who had no respect for God, the Libyan people, or human decency.

:evilgrin:

[Zanzoobar]

3. And give up power? Nevahhhhh!

[HipChick]

4. He was a dictator, holding on to what seems to be power is everything

[Amonester]

5. Lot's of hidden skeletons all over (or under) the sands.

Maybe kenny-boy's island would have been 'hidden away' thus invisible enuf.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Because a sewer pipe was more appropriate for his ilk. n/t

[occupyeverywhere]

9. Honest question.

How can you say something like that? You sound as if Ghaddifi himself twisted your brother's nuts in a vice and threw him in a jail cell for 30 years.

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. Honest answer.

He got what was coming to him. By his own people.

WTF is your problem anyway?

[occupyeverywhere]

13. Please elaborate.

[TheCowsCameHome]

15. Sorry your boy got his comeuppance, but them's the breaks sometimes

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

That's life.

[occupyeverywhere]

17. You make a lot of presumptions.

"your boy"? Do you use that terminology a lot?

[TheCowsCameHome]

20. Only when it fits.

[occupyeverywhere]

21. You are a man of few words.

I like that about you! :-)

[gateley]

16. You didn't ask me, but I think that someone who announced

he would kill his own citizens who were getting in his way of his hold on power doesn't deserve any more sympathy than he showed those he massacred.

Do you feel differently?

Please elaborate.

[occupyeverywhere]

18. You're right

I didn't ask you.

[gateley]

36. But I'm so very interested to hear your opinion on this. Please

forgive me for barging in on a private conversation and let me know what I should be thinking.

Thank you.

[JI7]

7. he probably didn't really realize until it was too late that he wasn't getting back in power

[no_hypocrisy]

8. One word:

Winning!

[Zanzoobar]

11. Dude, or Dudette, you cracked me up.

[donco]

10. What’s considered a secret town hall meeting?

If it is a tele town hall meeting I participated in couple of them myself with Representative Russ Carnahan.

[L. Coyote]

14. Right after Reagan bombed his family? Or some other time?

Maybe he was busy being a progressive leader and a thug opposing global domination and random bombings by the US?
Guess that didn't work out too well! :rofl:

[grantcart]

19. Because President Obama froze his assets.

That 34 Billion will now go to the Libyan People,

[occupyeverywhere]

26. Where is Obama> Barrow, Alaska?

He froze his ass off? :P

[ThomWV]

22. Seeing as how not one of actually knows, why not he loved his country so much he could not leave?

[Swede]

29. So much so that he killed thousands of his countrymen.

Not that is love.

[ThomWV]

34. You don't have to love your countrymen to love your country.

I despise the majority of the people around here, bunch of right-wing fundamentalists for the most part and some of the nutcases around these parts are even worse. But this is the best place to live I have found and I've been all over this country.

[LeftofObama]

23. I saw Christiane Amanpour (sp) on some news channel

yesterday and she said that people of Gaddafi's ilk really do live in a bubble. They surround themselves with "yes men" and truly cannot see how bad things are. He really thought this would end,he would remain in power, and it would be business as usual.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

24. Not clear he had that option

I do not recall any nation saying they would accept him and not allow extradition for trial at the Hague or elsewhere. It was discussed here at the time.

[occupyeverywhere]

27. Thanks for the info

You would think his money, and I'm sure not ALL of it was frozen, would buy him a ticket to anywhere.

[tabatha]

33. There were countries that said they would accept him.

Burkina Faso, Uganda, Venezuela.

[killbotfactory]

25. Because by the time he realized he couldn't murder away the people aligned against him

It was too late.

Quite the miscalculation for someone so modest and rational.

[cherokeeprogressive]

28. Ego. n/t

[Motown_Johnny]

30. it would seem that having unlimited power over a multitude is addicting

who'd a thunk it?

[joshcryer]

31. Megalomania.

Go back and watch the reports from Rixos Hotel. Pretty remarkable.

[occupyeverywhere]

32. Yeah,

I just can't see it though, I'm just me but self preservation trumps ego for me every time.

[joshcryer]

35. Then he should've taken the Venezuela offers. He would've had a quiet exile...

...and while Venezuela is a signatory to extradition treaties, they reserve the right to keep their people (there was a recent outrage when one of their terrorist connected guys got busted), and Gaddafi spent a lot of time in Venezuela. It would've been easy enough.

I think he truly believed the west had his back, he spent almost a decade aligning his country to western economics, and indeed, toward the end he kept telling Obama that he respected him and that he should stop the war, etc. It's mind boggling how the man thought, to be sure, but self-preservation probably wasn't at the front of his mind.

Until he found himself in a drain pipe and surrendered (and I honestly believe he just got unlucky, if he got picked up by a more disciplined brigade he probably would still be alive right now).