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Today's Poll: How should the Obama Administration respond to events in Egypt?

By Howard B. Owens
Jeff Allen

I find it odd that option 3 is the overwhelming choice when Obama already said this two days ago:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/03/statement-preside…
It is his signature "smart power" response to international issues...rock solid ambiguity and fence sitting.
On matters of real importance though, he swiftly and concisely takes a position (Sandra Fluke, Cambridge Police, Trayvon Martin, NCAA tournament brackets)

Jul 5, 2013, 9:01am Permalink
Dave Olsen

Ah, the unintended (or are they?) consequences of US foreign intervention. From Dr. Ron Paul:
"Let’s review US policy toward Egypt to see the foolish hypocrisy of the government’s interventionism: First the US props up the unelected Hosni Mubarak for decades, spending tens of billions of dollars to keep him in power. Then the US provides assistance to those who in 2011 successfully overthrew Mubarak. Then the US demands an election. The Egyptians held an election that was deemed free and fair and shortly afterward the US-funded military overthrows the elected president. Then the US government warns the military that it needs to restore democracy – the very democracy that was destroyed by military coup! All the while the US government will not allow itself to utter the word “coup” when discussing what happened in Egypt yesterday because it would mean they might have to stop sending all those billions of dollars to Egypt."

Personally, I would have used the words arrogant stupidity instead of foolish hypocrisy. I don't believe Obama, Hillary, Kerry et al have any clue what they are doing overseas. I had a glimmer of hope once, but no more. I can't decide which is worse, the agenda of war profiteering and oil deals that accompanied the Bush administration's foreign interventions or these buffoons.

Corruption or incompetence, that right there is your "lesser of 2 evils" in a nut shell.

Jul 5, 2013, 9:28am Permalink
Mark Brudz

The stage for this was set when Obama made his infamous apology speech in Cairo in 2009, the behind the scenes involvement in the overthrow of Mubarek, and the support of the Arab Spring movement which never was about democracy as we know it rather about a resurgence of Sharia.

Regardless of what we do or do not do now, Words mean things to many people as well as actions. Supporting fundamentalist in Libya, supporting fundamentalist in the uprising in Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood) three short years ago while all sounding to some as a move toward freedom, was in fact an interventionist policy in the first place. Intervention is not limited to financial support or military action.

It is important that issues be kept separate here, this has had nothing to do with Iraq or Afghanistan, it has all to do with the signal spent by the Cairo speech that we would support uprisings like this whether that was the President's intention in that speech or not, it was the result, and was predicted by many foreign policy experts the day he made that speech.

Jul 5, 2013, 11:12am Permalink
tom hunt

The USA is in a lose : lose situation. They hate our guts no matter which side we support. But they will continue to take our money. Leave them alone and let them self destruct.

Jul 5, 2013, 11:12am Permalink
Sam Tambe Jr.

1st of all any money promised that hasn't been sent SHOULD NOT BE SENT!! 2nd he should ask for what we've already given them back! That's what you get when you deal with the Muslim Brotherhood or any other enemy of our way of life! We have to many rich spoon fed politicians in DC. These people "left" and "right" don't have a clue of what they are dealing with!! In the end every American who is not a follower of Islam is an enemy to them PERIOD! Washington needs to get their heads out of their a$$e$ and worry about our people and our economy!! Yes I'm TICKED OFF!!!

Jul 5, 2013, 6:26pm Permalink

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