"We are making progress militarily, there is no doubt about that. You've seen the reports from Misrata, although reports of the Gaddafi forces completely pulling out of Misrata seem to be exaggerated"
About this Quote
Progress, yes - but not the kind you can safely bank policy on. Hague’s line is a tightrope act: he opens with confidence ("no doubt") to signal momentum, competence, and resolve, then immediately punctures any temptation toward victory-lap euphoria by warning that the most uplifting reports are "exaggerated". That deliberate whiplash is the point. It’s message discipline designed for a public hungry for good news and a Parliament wary of another foreign entanglement that starts with optimism and ends with mission creep.
The reference to Misrata situates this in the Libya intervention’s messiest reality: urban warfare where narratives move faster than facts. By saying "you've seen the reports", Hague invites the audience into the information loop, acknowledging media coverage without surrendering control to it. He’s subtly repositioning the government as the sober interpreter of a chaotic battlefield, not a cheerleader for headlines.
The phrase "there is no doubt" reads less like certainty and more like inoculation against criticism: if progress later stalls, he can argue he never promised a clean win. Meanwhile, "seem to be exaggerated" is classic diplomatic hedging - firm enough to tamp down unrealistic expectations, soft enough to avoid contradicting allies, rebels, or earlier briefings.
The intent is to keep the coalition’s moral and strategic case intact while lowering the temperature on triumphalist reporting. Subtext: the war is going to be longer, uglier, and harder to summarize than the daily news cycle wants, and the government needs room to maneuver when the facts change by the hour.
The reference to Misrata situates this in the Libya intervention’s messiest reality: urban warfare where narratives move faster than facts. By saying "you've seen the reports", Hague invites the audience into the information loop, acknowledging media coverage without surrendering control to it. He’s subtly repositioning the government as the sober interpreter of a chaotic battlefield, not a cheerleader for headlines.
The phrase "there is no doubt" reads less like certainty and more like inoculation against criticism: if progress later stalls, he can argue he never promised a clean win. Meanwhile, "seem to be exaggerated" is classic diplomatic hedging - firm enough to tamp down unrealistic expectations, soft enough to avoid contradicting allies, rebels, or earlier briefings.
The intent is to keep the coalition’s moral and strategic case intact while lowering the temperature on triumphalist reporting. Subtext: the war is going to be longer, uglier, and harder to summarize than the daily news cycle wants, and the government needs room to maneuver when the facts change by the hour.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
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