Should the U.S. Aid Egypt? Mohamed Morsi Demonstrates Why It’s a Bad Idea.

Should the U.S. Aid Egypt? Mohamed Morsi Demonstrates Why It’s a Bad Idea. by The Elephant's Child

September 25, 2012, 6:20 am
Filed under: Capitalism, Economy, Islam, Middle East, National Security, Politics, Terrorism | Tags: Clarifying Facts for Congress, Getting the Story Right, President Mohamed Morsi

The New York Times reports that “on the eve of his first trip to the Unites States as Egypt’s new Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi said the United States needed to fundamentally change its approach to the Arab world, showing greater respect for its values and helping build a Palestinian state, if it hoped to overcome decades of pent-up anger.”

That policy of apologizing to the Muslims for their bad behavior is working out well, isn’t it, Mr. Obama?  Any second thoughts?

“Morsi sought to introduce himself to the American public and to revise the terms of relations between his country and the United States after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. He said it was up to Washington to repair relations with the Arab world and to revitalize the alliance with Egypt, long a cornerstone of regional stability.”

Mr. Obama has apparently noticed the antipathy on the right at least to his apologies, for he has cancelled his scheduled visit with Mr. Morsi, which even the New York Times called “a politically risky plan.”

The president speaks to the UN General Assembly tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if he has recalled that we have freedom of speech here, guaranteed by our Constitution, and we really don’t need to apologize to anyone for that.

Whether the astonishment at his casual remark on Sixty Minutes  suggesting that the assassination of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, diplomat Sean Smith, SEALS Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty was just “a bump in the road”— the rocky road of relations with Moslem North Africa, caught his notice, or whether he will just apologize to the world remains to be seen. A little backbone would be welcome. This apology bit is getting old.

The Obama administration has made a shambles of the whole situation, from failing to prepare for the anniversary of 9/11, failing to have a decently protected consulate in Benghazi, failing to recognize the signs of imminent attack, failing to protect the US ambassador and other personnel. It is clear that the attackers already knew the consulate was essentially unprotected and knew of the location and status of the safe house.

The attack dealt a major setback to the CIA and their intelligence-gathering efforts at a time when the area is unstable. According to the New York Times, about two dozen American personnel and contractors who played a crucial role in conducting surveillance and information on the armed militant groups in and around the city.

I have no idea if President Obama will regroup, continue to blame the filmmaker, or show greater respect for some “values” of the Arab world. Congress can decide what they think of the terms Mr. Morsi offers. If they find them acceptable, they can continue to aid Egypt. If not, they should cut Egypt off. If it is better for America if Mr. Morsi loses power, then we should probably stop sending them money.

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