President Obama Recalibrates Words on Egypt

“RECALIBRATE?”
More like “on the job training.”
Everything is a backpedal, misquote, foot in the mouth, out of context, or now recalibration with this administration and the Egyptian crisis.
The ineptness of this administration oozes out once again.
What is a community organizer to do?

Poor Tony Krause
B-b-b-b-b-but Bush did it too?
Is that your defense of Obama’s incompetencies?
The community organizer in chief is laughably not up to the job. Let’s face it.

Poor Tony Krause — The last President made decisions and followed through. This one simply talks and walks no walk.

Obamas INCOMPENTENCE..Can we expect this non decision maker to solve unemployment..
Peacefull protest works…..What we need is the 14million unemployed to take to the streets of NYC and DC, stand in front of ABC CBS and NBC and the White House and Chant…WE WANT JOBS..HOw quickly will the blame stream media turn off their cameras to not show this on TV

I can’t see why you say he is shifting. His first speech said do not arrest or shoot anyone pursuing their human rights. How is this shifting? He has always held this notion of right to vote and right to be heard and said as much in his first speech. He, as president, needs to be careful of what he says and how he says it because if this guy stays in power…he will still have to deal with him and he is an ally now and he wants to keep it this way. If he gets driven out…Obama will then have to re-connect with the new guy in power. This is a particularly tight rope walk he must make. We are supporting the protesters and they know it. We do not have the right to interfere with their politics just as they have no right to interfere with ours and you nay sayers would be the first to point that out.Let’s get real here.

Skip,green goddess, progressive mama-do you honestly believe that anybody in the White House has any idea of how to manage this nightmare?
Posted by: Nephron | Jan 31, 2011 9:01:40 AM
What I believe is that you and the other right wing commenters here have no idea how to manage what you call “this nightmare.” I’ve been truly stunned (though I shouldn’t be) by the sheer number of brilliant everyday “diplomats” throwing their armchair suggestions and critiques into the blogosphere reminding us all how ill informed and speculation-based many of their opinions actually are and prompting some with regular columns and experience to call us all “internet idiots.” It is also clear to me that you all are divided on everything except your willingness to criticize Obama, democrats and “lefties” no matter what, no matter if you have a clue regarding that which you choose to speak out about or not. The latter strikes me as more fitting in most instances.
The quotes coming from right wing pundits and Republicans do not show a well-reasoned and articulated plan of action I would have more confidence in. Nor do many of them show a good handle on the situation or provide the most apt analogies.
i.e. Nephron, I’m not impressed with the arm chair foreign policy expertise, and, yeah, I’ve noticed that some right wingers and Bush-Cheney cheerleaders and are still cheerleading Arab democracy on their own terms while others have come out fully in support of Mubarek due to fear of radicals.
Ultimately, pivots, domino theories, fly-paper, seeds of democracy…. whatever. I don’t know which is best and I highly doubt one is best in every scenario. I also won’t pretend to know if a or b is chosen then it will for sure turn out the way we want. I don’t own a crystal ball and am not wired to believe in them. What seems clear based on past and current behavior is that no matter what Obama does, the right will whine and criticize and speculate and try to direct the narrative against him.
In foreign policy, I’ve read that there are devils behind every door, more or less, and that strikes me as true based on history and what I know. Of course, we don’t know more than we know and here is the problem many of you don’t see: pretending you know something you don’t only highlights which people are the true fools.
As much as I and many in the U.S. would like to see the protesters succeed in replacing Mubarak with some form of democracy that suits them and affords all citizens human rights, the revolution,likely has to be organic, internal and authentically resolved on that basis to be legitimate and succeed long term, yes? The U.S. has something like a 17% approval or popularity or favorability rating in Egypt. That adds to the conundrum.
What I am worried about is my dear friend who was planning a trip to Egypt to sight see with her sister and a friend… her sister, a marine and herself a military wife stationed in Germany. I am hoping they are home or went somewhere else, but despite inquiries, I have not heard from her. I am concerned that Egypt has managed to nearly shut down Al-Jazeera in Egypt. I am also concerned about my acquaintances in Israel, though I don’t know them well, Israel has every reason to be nervous and on guard. I am not at all concerned with the dribble of blah, blah, blah I hear from right wing commenters. I went to grad school with a young man who is second generation American with parents who immigrated from Egypt. He has a lot of family still there and has been much more informative on twitter than anyone on here from what I can tell in a brief skimming of the commentary here on Egypt. It just reads like the same uninformed rabblerousing and baloney.
As for the blog post on Huntsman, by the by, it reflects what Jake Tapper and the press consider a priority, not what the Obama admin considers a priority.
I have not found the statements from Hillary Clinton, President Obama or the administration upsetting, error-ridden, disturbing, to be filled with evidence of obvious mistakes, or to be evidence of the incompetence you all so badly want to see and make up and spread in a narrative that will help you win another election, all in hopes of being able to continue to hold as true ideas from a bygone era which didn’t even exist as many of you see it for many of us. I see their responses as cool, calm, rather cautious, diplomatic and even-handed and I think that is what drives many of you bonkers.
Long answer. I haven’t chosen to weigh in on Egypt but since you asked, I did and now I’ll leave it at that. You can all return to your alleged expertise in these complicated matters.

Leftist Leon Weseltier in The New Republic:
“What is not unclear, however, is that the Obama administration, and American liberals more generally, have been caught intellectually unprepared for this crisis.”
No kidding, Leon.

Does Leon Weseltier ever write a column that isn’t a negative critique? I’ve never seen one of his book critiques that wasn’t highly negative and intellectually snooty. But kudos to you, Fascist Hyena. Whenever you want someone to weigh in with a critique that is largely founded on how stupid everyone else is in comparison to him, Weseltier is a good writer to peruse.

Meanwhile I guess we’re to infer conservatives have been completely prepared for these events. I personally can’t count the number of times I’ve heard them warn us about it over the last few months….literally.

I’m sorry…I didn’t realize I was dealing with an authority??? You don’t have to go somewhere to know the feelings of the people…all people want the same thing…justice and fairness and their rights. Obviously this has not been prevalent in Egypt so the people are speaking up and that is how it should be. Others need to step back and let the process happen. We would not like it if some another country stepped into our process so that is the only point I am trying to make and the fact that Obama is being very careful not to say too much but it has been quite evident he supports the people and has been since his first words. Ineptness is not what is happening here. Diplomacy and keeping us out of a war is what is happening here. Fortunately we don’t have a president who thinks war is a necessity as Bush does and says so in his book.
And we don’t have a president who lies us into a war…that is what I am angry about not what is happening now. Too many good men died in a needless war…doesnt that make you sad?

“I miss Bush, at least I felt safe”
Conducting foreign policy, including starting wars resulting in thousands of casualties just so right-wingers can feel safer is more in the realm of kindergarten psychology.

“This kindergardener…..I miss Bush, at least I felt safe”
Oh the irony.

“Conducting foreign policy, including starting wars resulting in thousands of casualties just so right-wingers can feel safer is more in the realm of kindergarten psychology”
Almost like having innocents killed with drones or keeping prisons in Cuba open…

The only reason I see for fighting in Afghanistan is I care about the people who want to get rid of the Taliban. Otherwise we could bring home all the troops tomorrow as far as I’m concerned. And Gitmo? -as we can see from the economy it’s not easy to clean up messes left by the Bush administration.

“”"”"”"And we don’t have a president who lies us into a war…that is what I am angry about not what is happening now. Too many good men died in a needless war…doesnt that make you sad?”"”"”"
Posted by: talmag
And the wars continue on under Obama. You need to get with the here and now as you can’t change the past. All of the same policies continue, but you are mad at the previous eventhough this President follows the same path? Oh, Obama gaver you a timeline that they would already have to implement to actually make that timeline. Focus your time and energy on our status as a country now as we are losing much more than we ever did under Bush, especially if this record spending keeps up.

Yep,I knew it.Never been to Egypt, never been to Lebanon.It doesn’t work there like it does in this country-there will be nothing orderly.

“standing on the sidelines makes the American brand look worse in the Middle East evry day”
There is no justification for this claim, standing on the sidelines might be absolute best thing we can do now.

All we need to do is stand by and watch things unfold and appeal for calmness and peaceful protests. It is time for a change in Egypt and meddling in their internal affairs will only make us look like idiots. We shouldn’t offer “steps” towards anything. Let the situation play out as it should.

According to both cnn and aljazeera anti-US and anti-foreigner sentiment were up dramatically on Sunday. Fecklesness has consequences.

“By ignoring the warning signs he gave the mullahs a rallying point to expand their control of the revolution”
But evacuating the embassy would not have encouraged them?

Skip,I don’t understand the Tina Fey quote.

“And the wars continue on under Obama.”
Ddin’t you hear? Obama is powerless to end a war and bring US troops home. CINC is just a title…

Barack Obama’s speech in Oct 2002:
“You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells.”
Posted by: MayBee |

“Conducting foreign policy, including starting wars resulting in thousands of casualties just so right-wingers can feel safer is more in the realm of kindergarten psychology.”
All JFK and Lyndon-ish…

Since when does simply retiring absolve anyone of anything? I’m certain you would have us all forget about Bush as soon as possible but I’m sorry, I’m not letting him off the hook for all the damage his decisions caused this nation, not now, not ever.

Skip | Jan 31, 2011 12:52:38 PM
It doesn’t matter who’s driving the bus, the cliff is still nearing. Our 2 party monopoly continues and both of those parties are killing us. You can blame Bush all you want, but our government is basically 50/50 with some change. I don’t give a rat’s arse about Bush or Obama, I only care about the US. If we don’t cut spending, we will go down, no matter who’s in charge. You can’t change the past.

Heck no, i dont need no Egypt getting my Obama money!

“an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people.”
Maybe you guys can explain what is “freckless” or indecisive about this. I think you’re wearing your right-wing blinders again. Do you want to send in what marines we can spare from the other wars right-wingers already started?

Yes,Skip we should blame George Bush for everything that Obama can’t handle.Blame Bush for the Obama lack of oversight about what has been going on in Lebanon.Blame Bush for pushing tax cuts 10 years ago that Obama magically came to support after years of opposition.Blame Bush for rising gas prices after Obama placed a hold on drilling.Blame Bush for 9% unemployment after throwing away $800 million on a stimulus plan that never delivered the claimed jobs.

“an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people.”
Maybe you guys can explain what is “freckless” or indecisive about this.
________________________
Posted by: Skip | Jan 31, 2011 1:29:53 PM
OK
That statement is mostly meaningless.
It is a measured mush of words designed to go which ever way the winds blow.
It could support . . . .
A quick move to democracy with elections held right away.
A moderate move to Democracy with Mubarak stepping down after a few years
A careful move towards Democracy over a Decade with Mubarak remaining in power.

Don’t worry about the chronic Obama haters.
Today they are saying Obama isn’t doing enough to support the revolution.
But Fox News is starting to suggest that the revolution is scary and Islamic….
So they will start sniveling about something else, the second that it becomes clear that the State Department is and has been doing tons to support the Egyptian people.
The only thing that you need to know about the Republican opposition is that they want Obama to fail. And they aren’t afraid to bring down our economy…. or to openly oppose our foreign policy. They are not afraid to tell the Egyptian people that America hates them. They are not afraid to encourage a revolution. All they care about is 2012 election.
They have no counter-proposal to our current policy in Egypt. They only want Obama to fail.

That statement is mostly meaningless
—————–
Yes, I can tell the standard right-wing English-comprehension dampening field is in full operation.

As usual, the US press misses the story. This change in the US stance follows on Mubarak’s desperate attempt to retain power by promising more government intervention in the economy – to preserve subsidies, control inflation and provide more jobs.
In other words, the US will support a dictator only as far as he is willing to implement the policies of the IMF and World Bank, and ditch him as soon as he doesn’t.

“the same fringe wackos who tell us we’re really at war with the Muslim world” – Skip
Skippy, it’s the LaLaLefties who say that.
The Conservatives say we are at war with Radical Muslim Extremists.
“You’re seriously demanding the President of the US should set the timetable for transition of power in Egypt?” – Skip
No Way Skip!
Obama couldn’t set the time on his wristwatch.
We looking for some sort of leadership.
He might be capable considering his 2002 words on the topic.

Reuters reports:
If Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak is toppled, Israel will lose one of its very few friends in a hostile neighborhood and President Barack Obama will bear a large share of the blame, Israeli pundits said on Monday…
One comment by Aviad Pohoryles in the daily Maariv was entitled “A Bullet in the Back from Uncle Sam.” It accused Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of pursuing a naive, smug, and insular diplomacy heedless of the risks.
Who is advising them, he asked, “to fuel the mob raging in the streets of Egypt and to demand the head of the person who five minutes ago was the bold ally of the president … an almost lone voice of sanity in a Middle East?”
“The politically correct diplomacy of American presidents throughout the generations … is painfully naive.”
“The question is, do we think Obama is reliable or not,” said an Israeli official, who declined to be named.
“Right now it doesn’t look so. That is a question resonating across the region not just in Israel.”
Writing in Haaretz, Ari Shavit said Obama had betrayed “a moderate Egyptian president who remained loyal to the United States, promoted stability and encouraged moderation.”
To win popular Arab opinion, Obama was risking America’s status as a superpower and reliable ally.
“Throughout Asia, Africa and South America, leaders are now looking at what is going on between Washington and Cairo. Everyone grasps the message: “America’s word is worthless … America has lost it.”

Posted by: wheresmymoney | Jan 31, 2011 4:12:10 PM
So, let’s see… the Israeli’s are putting out comments that make sense given their position, as are the protestors in Egypt, and that sways you back and forth? Or it sways your party back and forth? Or, you actually have something to say about it? Or….?????

Regarding the predictability of the health care ruling, this was printed before the ruling was handed down:
“Today, Judge Roger Vinson is expected to become the second federal judge to strike down a portion of the Affordable Care Act (at least fourteen other judges have dismissed claims that the law is unconstitutional). While the right is certain to crow about this decision the minute it is handed down, the truth is that lower courts routinely strike down landmark legislation before that law is eventually upheld — and there is every reason to believe that the Supreme Court will do the same here.”
It is true that striking down the entire law is considered extreme.
In case you’re curious about what other landmark legislation was struck down by lower courts: minimum wage, social security, white-only lunch counters and the voting rights act.

In case you’re curious about what other landmark legislation was struck down by lower courts: minimum wage, social security, white-only lunch counters and the voting rights act.
Posted by: progressive mama | Jan 31, 2011 4:46:12 PM
——
Don’t taunt the conservatives. Those are all progressive legislative gems that they are still conniving against.

Did you hear about how Paul Ryan used social security money to pay for his college? And now he wants to eliminate it.
And, did you hear about the Republican plan to pay China first on all debts. So that when they refuse to raise the debt ceiling, they can just strangle off social security from the back. It’s bizarre. And, of course they cannot do it. But this is the level of thinking we are up against.
We are up against a worldview that is incoherent and unscrupulous, dumb and angry. Loaded with gimmicks but light on reason. Hoping to make the other guy fail, because they cannot win on their own merits.

“Hoping to make the other guy fail, because they cannot win on their own merits”
Indeed. Why should anyone expect people who don’t like government to be able to govern effectively?

From what I can tell, the right is not in lockstep on this
——————-
I would call that an understatement. They’re falling all over each other all over the map.

Skip and Progressive Mama….. I’d buy you both beers if I could.

“I note that in 2008, then-Senator Obama supported a health care reform proposal that did not include an individual mandate because he was at that time strongly opposed to the idea, stating that ‘if a mandate was the solution, we can try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house,’” Judge Vinson wrote in a footnote toward the end of the 78-page ruling Monday.

To Obama’s unmitigated critics: Your positions on current events in Egypt are blatantly contradictory and hopelessly uncoordinated. Report back to your preferred right-wing media loudmouths for your revised talking points.

Posted by: progressive mama | Jan 31, 2011 4:32:50 PM
.3% of the population is protesting. If 1 million show up tomorrow, that will be a little over 1% of their population. Our media is covering this as if it is the entire country.
“President Obama issued a statement saying that he supports “an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people.”
60% of Americans don’t want healthcare, yet Obama cares nothing of the aspirations of those people. More than that are worried about the direction the country is going. Mubarak didn’t speak of the US replacing Obama.
The TELEGRAPH is reporting: “Egypt protests: America’s secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising.” It is NOT an opinion column.

PM wrote: “it as fact that we somehow orchestrated the whole thing and it isn’t organic (?) Is that correct?”
Who is “WE?”

Posted by: Noz | Jan 31, 2011 11:22:19 PM
How about judges that cite Reason TV, make references to the tea party, rely on the Family Research Council and overreach in their extreme decisions in a way reasonable judges would not?
In case you’re curious about what other landmark legislation was struck down by lower courts: minimum wage, social security, white-only lunch counters and the voting rights act.

“In case you’re curious about what other landmark legislation was struck down by lower courts: minimum wage, social security, white-only lunch counters and the voting rights act.” – ProMa
So you’re saying our justice system is flawed.
No surprise here.
What’s important is the Truth, not if you like or dislike what the judge references.

“The problem is we have the federal government law that requires ANYONE going to an ER to be seen, with or without insurance or a way to pay for it.”
Oh, but the law does require doctors to treat you.
Why isn’t that unconstitutional?