Washington, Aug 23: Most Republican hopeful candidates for the 2012 presidential poll have given very slow and diplomatic views about the apparent success of President Barack Obama's role in the NATO campaign against the Gaddafi regime in Libya.

The only candidate who gave a clear position on whether the NATO-led Libya mission was a good idea is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who said through a spokesman that he still believes the mission was "not core to our national security interest," Politico reports.

The others have diplomatically applauded the demise of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, but kept mum on the months-long mission that led to his downfall.

Texas Governor Rick Perry called the end of Qadhafi's "violent, repressive dictatorship" a "cause for cautious celebration."

Former Massachusetts Gover Mitt Romney also cautiously responded by simply saying that "the world is about to be rid" of Gadhafi, and urged the new Libyan government to hand over the mastermind of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

Brian Hook, a former assistant secretary of state and adviser to Tim Pawlenty's campaign, said that Republicans should not let Obama off the hook for moving so slowly into military action.

However, he urged Republicans to focus on the upcoming challenges related to foreign policy, saying: "We need to hold Obama responsible for a Libya policy that not only weakened NATO but prolonged the war and the bloodshed. But now, we all need to turn the page and focus on the difficult transition that Libya will need to make out of a civil war, and we need to be providing as much assistance as we can to make that possible." (ANI)