"US won’t call Morsi overthrow coup d’etat; Allows $1.5b in aid to continue" by Bradley Klapper | Associated Press, July 26, 2013
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration told lawmakers Thursday it won’t declare Egypt’s government overthrow a coup, officials said, allowing the United States to continue providing $1.5 billion in annual military and economic aid to the Arab world’s most populous country.
William Burns, the State Department’s number two official, held a closed-doors meeting with House members a day after Washington delayed delivery of four fighter jets to Egypt.
They will get them later when no one is looking.
It was the first US action since the military ousted Mohammed Morsi as president, imprisoned him and other Muslim Brotherhood members, and suspended the constitution earlier this month.
They will get them later when no one is looking.
It was the first US action since the military ousted Mohammed Morsi as president, imprisoned him and other Muslim Brotherhood members, and suspended the constitution earlier this month.
Burns was also scheduled to brief senators.
The administration has been forced into difficult contortions to justify not declaring a coup d’etat, which would prompt the automatic suspension of American assistance programs under US law. Washington fears that halting such funding could imperil programs that help secure Israel’s border and fight weapons smuggling into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, among other concerns seen as critical to US national security.
How much more do I have to type?
How much more do I have to type?
It is unclear what specific arguments Burns presented, said officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the private meetings.
Who leaked this, and why isn't Obomber furious?
Many from both parties in Congress sympathize with the administration’s view and the need to back a military that has safeguarded Egypt’s peace with Israel for three decades.
Ever notice partisanship only comes into play when it something the American people want or need?
Still, some across the political spectrum disagree. Republicans from libertarian Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky to hawkish Senator John McCain of Arizona, and Democrats such as Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, have demanded the coup law be enforced.
But they agree on that other highlighted item above.
Ever notice partisanship only comes into play when it something the American people want or need?
Still, some across the political spectrum disagree. Republicans from libertarian Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky to hawkish Senator John McCain of Arizona, and Democrats such as Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, have demanded the coup law be enforced.
But they agree on that other highlighted item above.
The law stipulates, however, that it is the decision of President Obama and his administration on how to characterize Morsi’s July 3 overthrow.
They don't call it such a thing, but it's truly a dictatorship with all the democratic trappings here in AmeriKa.
They don't call it such a thing, but it's truly a dictatorship with all the democratic trappings here in AmeriKa.
--more--"
Finally, some movement:
"US envoy is urging stability in Egypt; To meet today with general, Morsi backers" by Aya Batrawy and Tony G. Gabriel | Associated Press, August 04, 2013
CAIRO — Egypt’s Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest camps as a senior US diplomat met with officials on both sides of the country’s political divide.
US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns extended his visit to Cairo by one day so he could meet military leader General Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi and the country’s prime minister on Sunday, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry official said.
He must like Egypt like Kohn Kerry likes Israel.
A member of the pro-Morsi delegation that met Saturday with Burns said the four delegates also would meet again with the US diplomat on Sunday for more talks.
At the core of talks is the political future of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies after the July 3 coup that ousted Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president.
The military coup, which followed several days of mass protests by millions of Egyptians demanding his ouster, also led to the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated Parliament and the suspension of an Islamist-drafted constitution.
The Brotherhood says it is looking for concessions before beginning talks with its rivals. Such measures could include releasing detained Brotherhood leaders, unfreezing the group’s assets, lifting a ban on its television stations, and reining in the use of force against its protesters.
Tarek el-Malt, who met with Burns and is a member of the Brotherhood-allied Wasat Party, said the delegation insisted that any initiatives for a way out of the crisis must center on the 2012 constitution being restored.
‘‘Morsi would return to power in all cases,’’ he said. ‘‘Whether he spends his full term in office or delegates his power to a national Cabinet is up for discussion.’’
However, Burns and others have signaled that the West has moved on from Morsi’s presidency.
That's why I didn't waste time with what was above.
Washington and others are foremost seeking stability in the Arab world’s most populous nation, and have called for the Brotherhood’s participation in the transition as a way to achieve national reconciliation.
Related: Egypt Returns to Normal
Then everyone is happy, right?
The trip by Burns, his second to Cairo since the coup, comes amid heightened fears of more bloodshed after more than 80 Morsi supporters were killed in clashes with police a week ago. More than 280 people have been killed nationwide in political violence since Morsi’s removal.
You won't have to worry about those anymore.
America’s No. 2 diplomat also held talks Saturday with interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour and Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, as did the European Union’s special envoy, Bernardino Leon.
ElBaradei now in exile.
Nevine Malak, who attended the same meeting with Burns and Malt as part of a delegation representing those against the coup, said the session was mainly for ‘‘listening.’’
Meaning it was lip service s***.
She said the group, which includes two members of the Brotherhood’s political wing, would meet Burns again on Sunday.
While Egyptian authorities say the political sphere is open to Morsi’s allies, they are simultaneously outlining plans to break up the two main sit-ins where thousands of protesters still rally daily for Morsi’s return to power.
--more--"
Related: Egyptian crisis: Corrupting the courts
They already were corrupt. It is all Mubarak holdovers.
"US official visits top Egypt Islamist in jail; Part of effort to mediate standoff with government" by Hamza Hendawi | Associated Press, August 05, 2013
CAIRO — Deputy Secretary of State William Burns held talks with a jailed senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood on Monday as part of mediation efforts to end the standoff between Egypt’s military-backed government and protesters supporting ousted President Mohammed Morsi, Egyptian officials said.
He didn't get to see Morsi like Ashton?
The talks between Burns and Khairat el-Shater, the powerful deputy head of the Brotherhood, took place in the prison where the Islamist figure is being held, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the news media.
Burns was accompanied by the foreign ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well as an EU envoy. US Embassy spokeswoman Patricia Kabra declined to comment, but a spokesman for interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour confirmed the meeting....
Also Monday, senior US senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham arrived in Cairo to press for a quick return to civilian rule....
In Brussels, an EU official said the main challenge currently is to instill trust between the two sides so they can eventually sit down and talk....
How can you have trust with a military that mows you down, imprisons you, bans your group, etc, etc, etc?
Of course, I should just chill. The INSANITY of WESTERN LEADERS is QUITE COMMON these days.
The official said such confidence-building measures could include releasing people, dropping charges against Brotherhood figures, and breaking up the sit-ins.
Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, has been held at an undisclosed location since his removal from office. Last week, he was visited by the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and a group of African statesmen.
Burns had extended his visit to Cairo by two days so he could have further talks with Egyptian leaders. He met Defense Minister General Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, who led the July 3 coup, and the prime minister on Sunday. Kabra, the US Embassy spokeswoman, would not say whether Burns intended to further extend his stay.
He likes Egypt better than Kerry.
--more--"
"US senators urge release of Morsi backers; But Egyptian leaders reject ‘interference’" by Aya Batrawy and Maggie Michael | Associated Press, August 06, 2013
CAIRO — Two US senators came to Egypt Tuesday with a message for the country’s new military-backed leaders: Release Islamist figures as a gesture to the Muslim Brotherhood or risk making ‘‘a huge mistake.’’
Oh boy!
The message from Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham met with a sharp response, denounced by interim President Adly Mansour in a brief statement as ‘‘unacceptable interference in internal politics.’’
Yeah, well....
The new leadership, emboldened by mass demonstrations of support, showed no sign of willingness to release Muslim Brotherhood figures whom McCain called ‘‘political prisoners’’ and whom the government plans to prosecute for allegedly inciting violence.
As the senators made their rounds, authorities said that two Morsi aides would be jailed and face charges of inciting violence in December when Muslim Brotherhood members attacked a sit-in by protesters outside Morsi’s office that sparked clashes, killing 10 people.
Where is the third member of that siamese triplet, Joe Lieberman, these days?
At stake is stability in the Arab world’s most populous country. The new leadership is facing international calls to ease its crackdown on Morsi’s group while also dealing with calls by millions of Egyptians to clear Brotherhood-led sit-ins in two major intersections of the capital. Some 250 people have been killed since Morsi’s ouster.
The Brotherhood is demanding Morsi’s reinstatement as Egypt’s first freely elected president while the new government vows to push ahead with fresh elections next year.
The McCain-Graham visit was carried out at President Obama’s request, but their message differed from his.
(Blog editor doesn't know what to say)
For one thing, they called what happened on July 3 a coup, a word the administration avoided because it would trigger a suspension of the $1.3 billion a year in US military aid to Egypt.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said ‘‘Our position has not changed’’ regarding the word ‘‘coup.’’ “Senator McCain and Senator Graham are certainly entitled to their opinions, just as any member of Congress is.’’
Why did you ask them to go (if you asked at all, or was it AIPAC reps visiting their offices)?
At a news conference in Cairo after meeting government officials, military leaders, and members of the Brotherhood’s political wing, the senators stressed the need to free prisoners.
‘‘It is impossible to talk with somebody who’s in jail. That is not a sustainable model that will allow transition to occur,’’ said Graham.
Just ignore AmeriKa's indefinite detentions and secret black sites, says the former Army lawyer.
He also said his message to the government is: ‘‘If you think you can negotiate with people who are in jail and that’s the way you’re going to negotiate, you’re making a huge mistake.’’
Echoing that sentiment, McCain said the Brotherhood must be included in Egypt’s transition.
‘‘Our purpose is to try to urge our friends toward a process that can avert a very serious situation that can affect not only the Arab world, but also the United States.’’
Graham suggested that US military aid could be at risk.
‘‘We cannot support Egypt that is not moving toward democracy. Our aid is going to be tied to what’s best, from our point of view, for the world, Egypt and the region,’’ he said.
McCain, however, said cutting off aid ‘‘would have been the wrong thing to do and the wrong time.’’
That's why I didn't waste time with all the hot air above.
The two senators also said they made clear that they want the Brotherhood to renounce violence before negotiations start.
Well, they already have according to the posts below, but whatever.
McCain and Graham have been preceded by senior officials of the Obama administration, the European Union, oil-rich Arab Gulf states, and the African Union, all anxious to stem the crisis.
Then why did you initiate it?
But Egyptian officials were sounding increasingly annoyed at what they saw as foreign meddling.
How ironic. Poor, coup-instigating generals.
--more--"
And the aid is $till flowing....
"Congress divided on aid to Egyptian military; Lawmakers split even within political parties" by Stephen Ohlemacher | Associated Press, August 19, 2013
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are divided on whether the United States should cut military aid to Egypt, which highlights the difficult choices the Obama administration faces as violence intensifies on the streets of a pivotal Middle East ally.
Democratic leaders generally have supported the president’s approach. But Sunday, Representative Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, said he would end aid to Egypt. Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress; he is cochairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
‘‘I would cut off aid but engage in intense diplomacy in Egypt and in the region to try to say, look, we will restore aid when you stop the bloodshed in the street and set up a path toward democracy,’’ he told ABC’s “This Week.’’
‘‘In my mind, there’s no way to say that this was not a coup. It is. We should say so. And then follow our own law, which says we cannot fund the coup leaders,’’ Ellison said.
Among Republicans, there were calls to end military aid to Egypt. Others were hesitant.
Representative Pete King, Republican of New York, said curtailing aid could reduce US influence with Egypt’s interim government, which controls access to the Suez Canal.
‘‘We certainly shouldn’t cut off all aid,’’ said King, who chairs a House panel on counterterrorism and intelligence.
King said on “Fox News Sunday’’ that there are no good choices in Egypt. Ousted President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was democratically elected. But, King said, the group has not demonstrated a commitment to democracy.
Can we apply that to Pete's next election and his crypto-corporate fascist party?
‘‘The fact is, there’s no good guys there,’’ King said. ‘‘But of the two, I think there is more opportunity to protect American interests if we work with the military and continue our relationship with the military.’’
Do I really need to comment anymore, dear readers? This is here to show you, the citizen of the world, what I am receiving from my regional flagshit as a conscientious and concerned citizen here in my little corner of the world.
The split among members of the same party illustrates the uncertainty facing President Obama as he tries to navigate volatile developments in Egypt, where crackdowns in recent days left nearly 900 people dead and thousands injured.
Obama has denounced the violence, canceled joint military exercises set for September, and delayed delivery of four F-16 jets. But the White House has refused to declare Morsi’s removal a coup — a step that would require Obama to suspend $1.3 billion in annual military aid.
Obama insists that the United States stands with Egyptians seeking a democratic government. But he says America cannot determine Egypt’s future.
We just did by supporting the coup!
The New York Times, citing administration officials, reported Monday that the State Department halted financing for economic programs directly involving the Egyptian government.
Senator John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, renewed a call to end military aid.
‘‘For us to sit by and watch this happen is a violation of everything that we stood for,’’ McCain said on CNN’s “State of the Union.’’ “We’re not sticking with our values.’’
What values would those be, John? The values we are demonstrating in Syria, which is we are willing to kill hundreds if not thousands of innocent people over a lie? That the kind of values you talkin' 'bout?
*******************************
But Representative Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, said he supports the president’s approach.
‘‘These are very, very difficult choices,’’ said Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs panel.‘‘I’m very unhappy, obviously, with the crackdown. But we essentially have two choices in Egypt. And that’s a military government, which hopefully will transition as quickly as possible to civilian government, or the Muslim Brotherhood. I don’t think the Muslim Brotherhood is a choice.’’
Engel is a Zionist Jew, and he has decided for whom you Egyptians can and can not vote.
And any talk of them being a Zionist tool? Pffft!
They may be a Sunni mouthpiece backed by the oil oligarchies of the Persian Gulf, but that's it.
Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said Congress should give the president flexibility in dealing with Egypt.
Translation: Let him be a dictator without troubling him.
--more--"
Finally, some movement:
"US envoy is urging stability in Egypt; To meet today with general, Morsi backers" by Aya Batrawy and Tony G. Gabriel | Associated Press, August 04, 2013
CAIRO — Egypt’s Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest camps as a senior US diplomat met with officials on both sides of the country’s political divide.
US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns extended his visit to Cairo by one day so he could meet military leader General Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi and the country’s prime minister on Sunday, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry official said.
He must like Egypt like Kohn Kerry likes Israel.
A member of the pro-Morsi delegation that met Saturday with Burns said the four delegates also would meet again with the US diplomat on Sunday for more talks.
At the core of talks is the political future of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies after the July 3 coup that ousted Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president.
The military coup, which followed several days of mass protests by millions of Egyptians demanding his ouster, also led to the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated Parliament and the suspension of an Islamist-drafted constitution.
The Brotherhood says it is looking for concessions before beginning talks with its rivals. Such measures could include releasing detained Brotherhood leaders, unfreezing the group’s assets, lifting a ban on its television stations, and reining in the use of force against its protesters.
Tarek el-Malt, who met with Burns and is a member of the Brotherhood-allied Wasat Party, said the delegation insisted that any initiatives for a way out of the crisis must center on the 2012 constitution being restored.
‘‘Morsi would return to power in all cases,’’ he said. ‘‘Whether he spends his full term in office or delegates his power to a national Cabinet is up for discussion.’’
However, Burns and others have signaled that the West has moved on from Morsi’s presidency.
That's why I didn't waste time with what was above.
Washington and others are foremost seeking stability in the Arab world’s most populous nation, and have called for the Brotherhood’s participation in the transition as a way to achieve national reconciliation.
Related: Egypt Returns to Normal
Then everyone is happy, right?
The trip by Burns, his second to Cairo since the coup, comes amid heightened fears of more bloodshed after more than 80 Morsi supporters were killed in clashes with police a week ago. More than 280 people have been killed nationwide in political violence since Morsi’s removal.
You won't have to worry about those anymore.
America’s No. 2 diplomat also held talks Saturday with interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour and Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, as did the European Union’s special envoy, Bernardino Leon.
ElBaradei now in exile.
Nevine Malak, who attended the same meeting with Burns and Malt as part of a delegation representing those against the coup, said the session was mainly for ‘‘listening.’’
Meaning it was lip service s***.
She said the group, which includes two members of the Brotherhood’s political wing, would meet Burns again on Sunday.
While Egyptian authorities say the political sphere is open to Morsi’s allies, they are simultaneously outlining plans to break up the two main sit-ins where thousands of protesters still rally daily for Morsi’s return to power.
--more--"
Related: Egyptian crisis: Corrupting the courts
They already were corrupt. It is all Mubarak holdovers.
"US official visits top Egypt Islamist in jail; Part of effort to mediate standoff with government" by Hamza Hendawi | Associated Press, August 05, 2013
CAIRO — Deputy Secretary of State William Burns held talks with a jailed senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood on Monday as part of mediation efforts to end the standoff between Egypt’s military-backed government and protesters supporting ousted President Mohammed Morsi, Egyptian officials said.
He didn't get to see Morsi like Ashton?
The talks between Burns and Khairat el-Shater, the powerful deputy head of the Brotherhood, took place in the prison where the Islamist figure is being held, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the news media.
Burns was accompanied by the foreign ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well as an EU envoy. US Embassy spokeswoman Patricia Kabra declined to comment, but a spokesman for interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour confirmed the meeting....
Also Monday, senior US senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham arrived in Cairo to press for a quick return to civilian rule....
In Brussels, an EU official said the main challenge currently is to instill trust between the two sides so they can eventually sit down and talk....
How can you have trust with a military that mows you down, imprisons you, bans your group, etc, etc, etc?
Of course, I should just chill. The INSANITY of WESTERN LEADERS is QUITE COMMON these days.
The official said such confidence-building measures could include releasing people, dropping charges against Brotherhood figures, and breaking up the sit-ins.
Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, has been held at an undisclosed location since his removal from office. Last week, he was visited by the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and a group of African statesmen.
Burns had extended his visit to Cairo by two days so he could have further talks with Egyptian leaders. He met Defense Minister General Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, who led the July 3 coup, and the prime minister on Sunday. Kabra, the US Embassy spokeswoman, would not say whether Burns intended to further extend his stay.
He likes Egypt better than Kerry.
--more--"
"US senators urge release of Morsi backers; But Egyptian leaders reject ‘interference’" by Aya Batrawy and Maggie Michael | Associated Press, August 06, 2013
CAIRO — Two US senators came to Egypt Tuesday with a message for the country’s new military-backed leaders: Release Islamist figures as a gesture to the Muslim Brotherhood or risk making ‘‘a huge mistake.’’
Oh boy!
The message from Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham met with a sharp response, denounced by interim President Adly Mansour in a brief statement as ‘‘unacceptable interference in internal politics.’’
Yeah, well....
The new leadership, emboldened by mass demonstrations of support, showed no sign of willingness to release Muslim Brotherhood figures whom McCain called ‘‘political prisoners’’ and whom the government plans to prosecute for allegedly inciting violence.
As the senators made their rounds, authorities said that two Morsi aides would be jailed and face charges of inciting violence in December when Muslim Brotherhood members attacked a sit-in by protesters outside Morsi’s office that sparked clashes, killing 10 people.
Where is the third member of that siamese triplet, Joe Lieberman, these days?
At stake is stability in the Arab world’s most populous country. The new leadership is facing international calls to ease its crackdown on Morsi’s group while also dealing with calls by millions of Egyptians to clear Brotherhood-led sit-ins in two major intersections of the capital. Some 250 people have been killed since Morsi’s ouster.
The Brotherhood is demanding Morsi’s reinstatement as Egypt’s first freely elected president while the new government vows to push ahead with fresh elections next year.
The McCain-Graham visit was carried out at President Obama’s request, but their message differed from his.
(Blog editor doesn't know what to say)
For one thing, they called what happened on July 3 a coup, a word the administration avoided because it would trigger a suspension of the $1.3 billion a year in US military aid to Egypt.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said ‘‘Our position has not changed’’ regarding the word ‘‘coup.’’ “Senator McCain and Senator Graham are certainly entitled to their opinions, just as any member of Congress is.’’
Why did you ask them to go (if you asked at all, or was it AIPAC reps visiting their offices)?
At a news conference in Cairo after meeting government officials, military leaders, and members of the Brotherhood’s political wing, the senators stressed the need to free prisoners.
‘‘It is impossible to talk with somebody who’s in jail. That is not a sustainable model that will allow transition to occur,’’ said Graham.
Just ignore AmeriKa's indefinite detentions and secret black sites, says the former Army lawyer.
He also said his message to the government is: ‘‘If you think you can negotiate with people who are in jail and that’s the way you’re going to negotiate, you’re making a huge mistake.’’
Echoing that sentiment, McCain said the Brotherhood must be included in Egypt’s transition.
‘‘Our purpose is to try to urge our friends toward a process that can avert a very serious situation that can affect not only the Arab world, but also the United States.’’
Graham suggested that US military aid could be at risk.
‘‘We cannot support Egypt that is not moving toward democracy. Our aid is going to be tied to what’s best, from our point of view, for the world, Egypt and the region,’’ he said.
McCain, however, said cutting off aid ‘‘would have been the wrong thing to do and the wrong time.’’
That's why I didn't waste time with all the hot air above.
The two senators also said they made clear that they want the Brotherhood to renounce violence before negotiations start.
Well, they already have according to the posts below, but whatever.
McCain and Graham have been preceded by senior officials of the Obama administration, the European Union, oil-rich Arab Gulf states, and the African Union, all anxious to stem the crisis.
Then why did you initiate it?
But Egyptian officials were sounding increasingly annoyed at what they saw as foreign meddling.
How ironic. Poor, coup-instigating generals.
--more--"
And the aid is $till flowing....
"Congress divided on aid to Egyptian military; Lawmakers split even within political parties" by Stephen Ohlemacher | Associated Press, August 19, 2013
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are divided on whether the United States should cut military aid to Egypt, which highlights the difficult choices the Obama administration faces as violence intensifies on the streets of a pivotal Middle East ally.
Democratic leaders generally have supported the president’s approach. But Sunday, Representative Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, said he would end aid to Egypt. Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress; he is cochairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
‘‘I would cut off aid but engage in intense diplomacy in Egypt and in the region to try to say, look, we will restore aid when you stop the bloodshed in the street and set up a path toward democracy,’’ he told ABC’s “This Week.’’
‘‘In my mind, there’s no way to say that this was not a coup. It is. We should say so. And then follow our own law, which says we cannot fund the coup leaders,’’ Ellison said.
Among Republicans, there were calls to end military aid to Egypt. Others were hesitant.
Representative Pete King, Republican of New York, said curtailing aid could reduce US influence with Egypt’s interim government, which controls access to the Suez Canal.
‘‘We certainly shouldn’t cut off all aid,’’ said King, who chairs a House panel on counterterrorism and intelligence.
King said on “Fox News Sunday’’ that there are no good choices in Egypt. Ousted President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was democratically elected. But, King said, the group has not demonstrated a commitment to democracy.
Can we apply that to Pete's next election and his crypto-corporate fascist party?
‘‘The fact is, there’s no good guys there,’’ King said. ‘‘But of the two, I think there is more opportunity to protect American interests if we work with the military and continue our relationship with the military.’’
Do I really need to comment anymore, dear readers? This is here to show you, the citizen of the world, what I am receiving from my regional flagshit as a conscientious and concerned citizen here in my little corner of the world.
The split among members of the same party illustrates the uncertainty facing President Obama as he tries to navigate volatile developments in Egypt, where crackdowns in recent days left nearly 900 people dead and thousands injured.
Obama has denounced the violence, canceled joint military exercises set for September, and delayed delivery of four F-16 jets. But the White House has refused to declare Morsi’s removal a coup — a step that would require Obama to suspend $1.3 billion in annual military aid.
Obama insists that the United States stands with Egyptians seeking a democratic government. But he says America cannot determine Egypt’s future.
We just did by supporting the coup!
The New York Times, citing administration officials, reported Monday that the State Department halted financing for economic programs directly involving the Egyptian government.
Senator John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, renewed a call to end military aid.
‘‘For us to sit by and watch this happen is a violation of everything that we stood for,’’ McCain said on CNN’s “State of the Union.’’ “We’re not sticking with our values.’’
What values would those be, John? The values we are demonstrating in Syria, which is we are willing to kill hundreds if not thousands of innocent people over a lie? That the kind of values you talkin' 'bout?
*******************************
But Representative Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, said he supports the president’s approach.
‘‘These are very, very difficult choices,’’ said Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs panel.‘‘I’m very unhappy, obviously, with the crackdown. But we essentially have two choices in Egypt. And that’s a military government, which hopefully will transition as quickly as possible to civilian government, or the Muslim Brotherhood. I don’t think the Muslim Brotherhood is a choice.’’
Engel is a Zionist Jew, and he has decided for whom you Egyptians can and can not vote.
And any talk of them being a Zionist tool? Pffft!
They may be a Sunni mouthpiece backed by the oil oligarchies of the Persian Gulf, but that's it.
Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said Congress should give the president flexibility in dealing with Egypt.
Translation: Let him be a dictator without troubling him.
--more--"
Related:
Doing nothing is in itself something. It means the U.S. government approves of the coup it supported.
The message? Make it look like he is doing something and was against this violation of democracy, blah, blah, blah. The military will still get their money and fighters, just after the situation has calmed down and no one is paying attention.
"Obama cancels joint exercises with Egyptian military" by Noah Bierman | Globe Staff, August 15, 2013
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday condemned the Egyptian military’s brutal crackdown on Islamist protesters and canceled a joint military exercise with US troops that had been scheduled for next month, but he stopped short of halting $1.3 billion in annual US military aid to the country.
It's the price of $ecurity for Israel.
The response by the president — who interrupted his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard to deliver an audio statement — is part of a delicate balancing act. The White House appeared to be weighing the need to engage Egypt’s generals against concerns that the United States not appear too cozy with an unelected government that is depending on bullets and bulldozers to thwart opponents....
Don't be concerned. We already see it.
Obama also spread blame for the country’s strife, stating that the former government led by Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood party, had failed to be inclusive before it was overthrown by the military six weeks ago.
SIGH!
The military government he supports just banned a whole bunch of political parties for various reasons.
The president’s measured response and incremental steps underscored the administration’s difficulty in responding to the quickly shifting atmosphere in a country that had long been an outpost of stability, a key US ally within a volatile and hostile region.
And I suppose therein lies the difference, and why Syria gets cruise missiles and Egypt gets a nod-nod, wink-wink.
The attacks on Islamist protesters follow a miscalculation in Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s statement two weeks ago, which appeared to amplify the military leaders’ legitimacy by portraying them as agents of popular will.
“The military did not take over, to the best of our judgment, so far, to run the country. There’s a civilian government,” Kerry had said in Pakistan. “In effect, they were restoring democracy.”
See: The Kerry Chronicles: No Excuse For Egyptian Comment
There is no excuse for him.
As those comments drew initial criticism, an anonymous aide told the Wall Street Journal that Kerry “did not stick to the script.”
Is there any need to comment?
Folks, THIS IS WHAT the AmeriKan government and media are all about. It is ALL STAGED and SCRIPTED S***, and sometimes it IS NOT EVEN REAL!!
While not explicitly backtracking, Kerry later issued a milder statement, calling on all parties to work toward a peaceful and democratic solution.
Too late, damage done. Kerry has been known for gaffes like this. It's one reason he is not president, even though he kind of is.
The Egyptian military’s rule has grown increasingly violent since then, threatening stability in the Middle East in addition to inflicting harm on the Egyptian people.
Notice the stability is more important than the dead Egyptians in my jewspaper?
More than 630 people have been killed since Wednesday, and clashes continued Thursday. The State Department issued a new travel warning Thursday, urging US citizens to avoid the country and to depart if living there.
The death toll topped out over 1,000 before "order" was restored.
Jeremy Pressman, a University of Connecticut political science professor specializing in the Middle East, said Wednesday’s attacks effectively rebuked the State Department’s back-channel efforts to persuade the military to begin building democratic institutions.
The crackdown “showed that did not work,” Pressman said. “The Egyptian military, like most institutions, is out to protect their power and their authority.”
Kerry’s assertion that the military was interested in advancing the popular will was also proved false amid the violence on the streets, he said.
Wow, it's a bad region for Kohn Kerry. First Egypt, then Syria.
“For tens of millions who probably don’t support the military — probably they support the Muslim Brotherhood — this is not the people’s will,” Pressman said.
Oh, FORGET ABOUT THEM! I was told the generals had popular support.
Kerry, taking a very different tone Wednesday, offered one of the first voices of condemnation, calling the violence “deplorable.”
Oh, Allah, this guy is an embarrassment.
Tarek Masoud, a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School who specializes in Middle Eastern politics, said he does not know whether Obama’s latest response is the right one, but it may be the only option, given the uncertainty of the situation.
And the fact that it is what Israel wanted.
The Muslim Brotherhood protesters are not “100 percent peaceful” either, he said, citing attacks on Christians and churches.
Uh-huh.
“He’s trying to thread a very difficult needle,” Masoud said. “He wants to show the appropriate level of criticism for the violence that the Egyptian government has meted out on the protesters, but at the same time, does not want to foreclose the possibility of the Egyptian military stepping back and engaging in a kind of reconciliation process that will allow the Egyptian-American relationship to continue.”
The overriding concern.
Obama has stopped short of using the word “coup” to define the Egyptian military takeover, which would trigger an end to the $1.3 billion US military aid to Egypt under American law. The closest Obama came to threatening financial penalties on Thursday was announcing that his national security team would assess “further steps we may take, as necessary.”
I was told the State Department cut off money.
Egypt’s military is among the biggest beneficiaries, after Israel, of aid from the United States....
Obama used his speech to try to quell criticism from within Egypt that the United States has not lived up to its promise to defend liberty or that it has played a role in fomenting violence.
Well, you found us out. Damn!
The United States, he said, would support Egypt but it would not take sides and it was up to the Egyptian people to forge their own path.
“I know it’s tempting inside of Egypt to blame the United States or the West or some other outside actor for what’s gone wrong,” said Obama, whose 2009 speech in Cairo reaching out to the Muslim world was one of the centerpieces of his foreign affairs agenda early in his first administration. “We want Egypt to succeed. We want a peaceful democratic prosperous Egypt. That’s our interest.”
I'm sorry, did you say something?
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"Egypt challenges Obama’s Arab Spring philosophy" by Julie Pace | Associated Press, August 18, 2013
WASHINGTON — As Arab Spring democracy uprisings spread across the Middle East, President Obama’s response to the political unrest has been to voice support for people seeking representative governments but to limit the role the United States will play to shape those efforts.
Did you know it was the neo-con Charles Krauthammer that came up with the term "Arab Spring?"
Makes you see them in a whole new light, doesn't it? I think they were all engineered drives to dump stale dictators. When replacing them with the next generation of new faces failed in election, the Islamist regimes were sabotaged to show that, damn it, Islamic democracy just doesn't work.
And who benefits?
The president’s philosophy of limited engagement is facing perhaps its toughest test in Egypt, where the nation’s first democratically elected president was ousted by military forces with deep, decades-long ties to the United States.
Obama’s resistance to suspending US support for Egypt’s military — $1.3 billion in annual aid — even after the military-backed interim government led crackdowns last week that left more than 600 people dead and thousands more injured, leaves the White House with little leverage, effectively relegating the president to the role of a bystander issuing strongly worded statements.
Thus the title of this post -- as if $1.3 billion bucks doesn't buy any leverage.
If so, they should cut off aid.
See how the distorting and lying AmeriKan jewsmedia trap themselves with their own contradictory claims?
The US position has also stirred up anti-American sentiment in Egypt, with Morsi supporters accusing the United States of failing to live up to its own democratic values by allowing an elected leader to be pushed aside.
I doubt there are many nations on the planet where the people like us.
Who like$ a global killing machine?
The president insists the United States stands with Egyptians seeking a democratic government. But he says America could not determine Egypt’s future and would not ‘‘take sides with any political party or political figure.’’
Steven Cook, a Middle East analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that Obama’s ‘‘middle-splitting’’ approach for Egypt undercuts US support for democracy in the region.
See: Sunday Globe Special: Making You Think
‘‘The idea that we can influence the trajectory of the politics is foolish,’’ Cook said. ‘‘But to have not been consistent in emphasizing our own values in this situation is a mistake. We should stick to the principles of democracy and recognition for the rule of law.’’
Why when we are no longer any of those things?
However, the US relationship with Egypt has long required Washington to ignore the country’s repressive politics in exchange for regional stability.
It was not only ignoring, it was and is $upporting!
What slop-shit passing itself off s "journalistic reporting."
For 30 years, the United States propped up Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak in part to ensure that he maintained Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, one of only two such accords in the Arab world.
That's why we must pay a billion-three a year, American taxpayers -- as if armed-to-the-teeth, nuclear Israel needed it.
But Obama abandoned Mubarak in 2011, when millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demand an end to his rule.
Some of those same people are now in jail cells, and if you remember -- and I do -- the MB didn't join in at first (Qatar/Saudi re$i$tance?).
Mubarak eventually resigned, clearing the way for Egypt’s first democratic elections and inspiring prodemocracy protests in other countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Eventually leading to a military coup.
The United States has consistently voiced support for the popular uprisings and in some cases demanded that autocratic leaders leave power.
Those are the ones the CIA is funding and encouraging.
In Libya, the United States joined with allies to set up a no-fly zone to help opposition forces oust longtime leader Moammar Khadafy. And in Syria, the United States has levied economic sanctions and approved light weaponry for rebels fighting President Bashar Assad’s government, though it has done little to stop the civil war that has left more than 100,000 people dead.
And Obomber is about to add to that total.
But throughout the Arab Spring, the White House has been wary of getting too deeply involved in setting up new governments in the region.
Blah, blah, blah, says the intelligence operation known as a newspaper.
Obama’s philosophy is driven in part by concerns that the governments formed after the Arab Spring uprisings may be more detrimental to American interests than the autocratic regimes they replace.
That's AmeriKan foreign policy these days. Everything is turning to shit.
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You know who has all the answers?
"Ending Egyptian aid is unwise, but stronger messages needed" August 17, 2013
Last month, Secretary of State John Kerry claimed that Egypt’s military was “restoring democracy” when it arrested Mohammed Morsi, an elected president who had become deeply unpopular. Kerry defended the move, arguing that the military had handed power to a civilian caretaker government. Today, as the military intensifies its crackdown on Morsi supporters, killing hundreds, those claims are far harder to make. The brazen killings have forced Kerry to change his tune: He called them “deplorable” Wednesday. The mixed messages from Kerry and other Obama administration officials have not helped. They have only inflamed anti-American sentiment, giving each side in Egypt a reason to be bitter at the United States for appearing to back its enemy.
Predictably, the crackdown hasn’t cowed Morsi supporters. To the contrary, it has emboldened them. Islamists have attacked police stations and churches, even though Christians did not play any special role in Morsi’s ouster.
Egypt’s military and the Muslim Brotherhood — the two largest organizations in the country — are now in a fight to the death over the soul of the country. The removal of Morsi — which Kerry once claimed would save Egypt from civil war — has done just the opposite. The killings are so disturbing that Egyptian Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, a former UN official and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, resigned from the caretaker civilian government in protest. The façade of the civilian caretaker government is falling away. What’s left is the all-too-familiar feel of a military dictatorship.
Given all this, the Obama administration was right to cancel joint military exercises with Egypt. Such a spectacle of cooperation can’t go on while the military kills people in the streets. But Obama should not stop there.
It goes on.
While it would be too risky to cancel the entire $1.6 billion US military aid package, which buttresses Egypt’s peace deal with Israel and buys US military access to the Suez Canal, interim steps can send a strong message.
I thought it was $1.3, but....
Aside from Israel, Egypt is the only country that enjoys the ability to enter into multiyear US defense contracts with funds that Congress has not even appropriated yet. Suspending Egypt’s special “cash flow financing” privileges would get the attention of Egyptian generals.
Perhaps most importantly, US officials must acknowledge that their attempts to nudge Egypt towards democracy have failed. The military’s removal of Morsi, and the subsequent crackdown on the Brotherhood, took place despite repeated warnings from President Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who flew to Cairo to try to personally mediate a solution to the crisis. Despite billions in military aid given over the years, Egypt’s army ignored the US calls for restraint. It’s time to send a stronger message.
Like what, cruise missiles into the Sphinx and pyramids? I heard the Egyptians were storing chemical weapons in them.
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Finally, LAST and LEAST, why would anyone want to attack the NYT website?
Is there anyone who actually cares what the Jew York Times has to say anymore? I haven't picked one up since January 1, 2008.
