Meanwhile, back in Egypt…
…protests against the Morsi government rise to a new level.
It’s always somewhat difficult to estimate the strength of demonstrators in terms of how much they can really undermine a government willing to play hardball with them: how tough that government is willing to become to shore up its rule, and what percentage of the general population is sympathetic to the protestors or to the government. But the level of protest here in terms of sheer numbers seems formidable so far.
As for Obama’s role, although I deeply respect John Hinderaker, I submit that in this case he doesn’t quite get it. Hinderaker writes:
What is bizarre is that Obama hasn’t just tolerated the Brotherhood’s rise to power, he has abetted it. It would be defensible to argue that we have little power to influence events in Egypt, and, moreover, attempts on our part to exercise influence are likely to backfire; therefore we should stand aside and do nothing. But why Obama would consider it a good idea to put America’s thumb on the scale on the side of the Brotherhood is beyond me.
I can only speculate why it might be that Obama favors the Brotherhood’s rise to power. But I do have some theories, offered in order of escalating perfidy.
The first is naivete: Obama believes his own rhetoric (and Brotherhood propaganda) that the Brotherhood has softened in recent years and is no longer the fire-breathing anti-Western anti-American entity it always has been (which to me is something like believing Hamas is now just an altruistic social service organization). The second is hubris: Obama believes that his own influence should have been enough to magically stop a Brotherhood takeover from happening. The third is intent: that Obama actually favors the existence of an Islamic regime in Egypt.
Now, why would Obama support such a thing? Once again, I can only offer theories: he wants to weaken US influence in the region and the world. He is sympathetic to Islam (hates Jews? memories of his Indonesian childhood?).
And by the way, Obama can be sympathetic to Islam without actually being a Muslim. Even though FactCheck is not my favorite site, I long ago independently researched a lot of those quotes that supposedly show that Obama is a closet Muslim and found them to be deceptively truncated, much as FactCheck details in this piece.
One thing is for certain, though: Obama ought to have known that the most likely outcome of the overthrow of Mubarak would be the rise of the Brotherhood in Egypt. Even I—most assuredly no expert on Egypt—saw this from the very moment the original protests began, about two and a half years ago. And although Obama and the left assured us this rise of the Brotherhood would not happen—or, if it did, the Brotherhood was actually nothing to fear—it was also crystal clear that they were most likely wrong in the assertion that the Brotherhood was now a tame and docile force (see this for a long post I wrote way back when as to why this was so).
John Hinderaker has also posted this photo from the most recent protests, which he found at Bret Baier’s site:
The protestors, at least, seem to get it. And isn’t this tendency of Obama’s what many of us recognized long ago, what might be called the Obama Doctrine? To refresh your memory:
[O]ffend our allies and friends, and cozy up to our enemies.
So far it’s been playing out as expected. The real question is whether the resistance in Egypt in strong enough to stop the effects of Obama’s influence.
[NOTE: And I missed the part where Obama calls for Morsi’s resignation, like he did with Mubarak. Actually, he’s explicitly refusing to do so.]
A similar cozy relationship between the MB and Obama as that between Obama and, say, the IRS and crony capitalists, didn’t work out as well. The MB was supposed to have understood that they would get the hegemony of the Unmah only just don’t attack the U.S. directly. A big terrorist event on American soil would doom Obama.
But Obama is intensely hated for his drone warfare, a warfare greatly expanded under his command. And Obama is an infidel after all. So the MB just didn’t quite respect the quid pro quo. Obama’s not going to get that message, however.
And from Honduras to Iran the one constant from Obama is his support for dictators. He is just an intensely anti-democratic man. He hates law. He hates our Constitution. He hates criticism. His latest admonition to the Press ins South Africa underscores that point.
Obama simply hates any law or restriction upon himself. It’s hard to believe that a megalomania could account for his actions as the representative of free peoples around the world, but those poses of his smug arrogance are just too easily obtained. This is a man so pathological that reasons for why he does things can be found not only in the grand historical investigations, but in his own peculiar pathologies.
Obama does what he does because he belongs to, what we used to call, the Comintern.
Very well put Sharpie. No one should complain that Obama is a closet fascist; he is a very in your face fascist. Indeed it is rather humorous to see people desperately trying to avoid stating the obvious for fear of appearing extreme. He clearly seeks a Venezuelan popular dictatorship in this country. On the other hand he is a small man. The beer summit, the constant pontificating in lieu of appreciating reality, concern over the unimportant issue of gay rights while weakness and lack of seriousness over the Iranian bomb are all indicators of a man who either does not know, want to know or cannot deal with, that which is important.
It is rather disappointing that no main stream personality has come and denounced the man as an enemy of America and freedom.
When it comes to Obama’s personal faith/spirituality, my impression has always been that he worships at the church of Obama (as per usual).
I’ve always been mystified by those who insist that he is a closet Muslim (because of the Indonesian childhood, etc.) He also seems utterly insincere when he professes Christian principles in speeches, and it’s clear that church attendance is not a priority for him and his wife and daughters (sure, they make a public appearance at the church near the White House on Easter). Rev. Wright’s church in Chicago was needed to boost him as he clawed his way up ward politics, etc. Expediency is his guiding light.
My theory is that he’s an atheist or at best, an agnostic. I don’t think he is a man of faith at all (Muslim or Christian).
In Egypt, Turkey, and Iran,
Whose side is Obama on?
gs, don’t forget Honduras, Iraq, Russia and Venezuela.
CV,
I agree 100%.
CV…
Then you must not know of his religious adherence to muslim strictures — large and small.
It’s the s m a l l stuff that’s revealing.
Like his refusal to visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar. It’s HUGE with the American Sikh community. Barry had been set up by the Indian government to visit it — it’s a massively popular tourist site. Pretty late in the game, Barry backed out. (Some muslim advisor informed him of the lethal fatwa on that particular temple.)
Like his refusal to celebrate his own birthdays while in office. It’s a tic unique to muslim ‘culture.’ In contrast, the wife and kids lay on big celebrations — Barry’s fine with that. Non-muslims in America are normally not aware that he’s ducking his August 4 birthdate; not aware that it’s forbidden to the observant.‘
And then there’s the fact that under muslim doctrine (ALL four branches) the son of a muslim man is automatically muslim. This is compounded by Barry having taken the muslim oath: the shahada — learned and uttered many the times from childhood till now — in perfect (Saudi) Arabic He was indoctrinated as a Wahhabist, BTW.
While on jihad — EVERYTHING that Barry is doing is religiously permitted/ fully sanctioned. It’s a universal ‘get out of trouble with allah’ card — that even trumps the ‘race card.’
The above are just the lightest sprinklings of Barry’s islamist cant.
To repeat: it’s the SMALL stuff. An atheist/ agnostic would entirely blow off concern about birthdays, and such. These are all signals that the islamic press disseminates to the ummah — while the MSM keeps the infidels in the blind.
===========
To show how this works: from the annals of Soviet-Iranian diplomacy in the late 80’s…
The Ayatollah sent a missive to Gorby ‘imploring’ him and the Politburo to join the ummah and submit to allah. The entire assemblage damn near died laughing themselves sick. Being true atheists, they were utterly unfamiliar with islamic doctrine.
Mo’ insisted that e v e r y target of the ummah HAD to be ‘invited to convert’ as a prelude to hostilities.
The humorous missive was, in fact, a declaration of war. The particular wording was lifted in toto from prior ‘invitations’ offered to all of the empires/ states previously attacked. (Successfully, I might add.)
That the Russians have fought the Turks for thousands of years — yet still did not recognize this format — is but another proof that Western presumption blinds all.
As for being a man of ‘faith.’ You clearly don’t understand the ‘religious’ (moral?) requirements of the Caliph. He’s allah’s dictator on Earth. As such he’s required to follow his impulses at every turn. There is NO islamic doctrine that constrains the Caliph — accept to pay lip service to Mo’ and the ummah. From genocide to mega-theft — it’s all good.
Islam, itself, is a Neolithic rules set. Hence, islam is 12,000 ybp not 1,200 ybp.
Islamism = islam + communism
It’s really a fusion doctrine. Barry is more an islamist than a classic muslim.
Since fish don’t write about water — the MSM doesn’t write about the sea of socialism embedded within islamist circles. If you were to go to source documents — the opfor agitprop — you’d quickly find that the modern fanatics are more communist than muslim — 70:30.
Islam/ Mo’ has ZERO economic relevance for today. There are just not enough caravans to rob. Klepto economics and Big Man largess can’t carry their massive (thieving and dependent) populations across the victory line.
As Morsi is showing, the MB can’t deliver the goods, either.
Barry ought to take note — but won’t.
Steve, I didn’t forget them; I just couldn’t make them rhyme.
Then again, who said they have to rhyme?—
Honduras, Iraq,
Russia, Venezuela…
Barack likes despots.
Egypt’s army gives parties 48 hours to resolve crisis
With any luck, they’ll install a non—Muslim Brotherhood guy as president.
The Egyptian public is no more considering American opinion at the moment than the Teaparty was checking on world opinion at its most energetic period.
Morsi and his pals may be looking for advice from somewhere, but that’s different.
Blert,
How can we tell he doesn’t celebrate his own birthday?
It’s hard to raise a huge population immur to freedom and thought nowadays. The internet, tweeting, the freedom of information, all of that and more kind of defeats a totalitarian society. No, the total rests not in the head and how people may be programmed. The best way is to identify a scapegoat, or better, a devil.
Hello devil! I love devils, all of them, me, you and us. Us White Devils. We stole the wealth of the world and are still stealing in and jeopardizing the world through energy consumption.
But White Devils are in short supply right now in Egypt. I guess Ms. Lara has fled the scene leaving devils to more colorful color. Why wouldn’t she trust them?
The revolters aren’t yet quite aware. They have reached the understanding that Obama is not on their side but do not understand he is on the side that wants to continue his rule via a false populism of rulers vs. people. He cares not for color or religion or class. He only cares for power. That is what makes him so slippery and dangerous. He is on your side until he isn’t. (Know this queers, how many socialist Utopias welcomed you.) And remember, he IS North America for all intents and purposes and when he speaks, the peoples believe.
But here is a limitation: Obama has run out of minorities. Each one, finding that he has used them, dissolve in anticipation. They continue to exist but without passion. They don’t quite discredit him because they have no other champion, but without him they languish.
I could be wrong but it wouldn’t take much to make the point.
Agree with all 3 theories Neo except to swap the order with hubris on top, as sharpie describes very well. And I can’t resist a jab at the Obama is “highly intelligent and we underestimate him at our risk” meme that’s been a favorite of yours for a long time here.
Everything he’s done in foreign policy (not to mention other policies) suggests a person whose high opinion of himself knows no bounds. There’s virtually nothing he thinks he’s wrong about. there are no occasions or situations he believes he can’t handle with a speech or a lecture delivered to a fawning press corps. To that end he is right, but it’s not likely he anticipated immunity from gross incompetence. It probably never occurred to him he would ever be wrong about anything in the first place. The media have just continued to fuel his ego.
Both Egypt and we will survive Obama, but it is truly ironic as Bob from Virginia points out, that blatant fascist tendencies are openly embraced by the leader of the free world, and the free media mostly praises him for it. But I’m afraid before his reign is over, more people will suffer the consequences of his boundless arrogance. If the media ever do turn on him in a serious way, it could be a very bad situation for everyone. How would an ego like that react, if for the first time in its life, it was publicly told that it had failed on most of the things it was convinced it had right?
One other theory- he’s just guessing at every turn. It’s seemingly random what group he will or will not support at any given moment in any given country.
Foreign affairs are a distraction for Obama. He’d rather not be involved except to the extent that it bolsters his domestic agenda. A democratic revolution in Egypt is messy and entangling and he could back it and it could lose. That would, in his mind, erode his support. A type II error like failing to back the democratic revolution (that the press still seems to be blunting through its lack of reporting) isn’t as harmful.
I wanted to post this for all of you: the great Winston Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946, in full.
If you’ve never heard it all, it’s well worth the listen: http://preview.tinyurl.com/laypbko
He could be speaking to us, here, now. How DO you fight a world-girdling foe actuated by malice and fanaticism?
Re Obama and his didoes: I am heartily sick of him. I take him at his word, that when the fertilizer comes down, he “will side with the Moslems.” And I don’t think his childhood faith is something he sloughed off like a snakeskin, either.
IMO, it’s premature to write off Morsi and the Brotherhood just yet. I don’t for a moment doubt their ruthlessness. I suspect their apparent reticence to react violently to the protests has to do with the Army. Morsi has spent his first year attempting to entrench and deepen the Brotherhood’s penetration of the government and Army. He’s replaced a bunch of people at the top in the Army but I haven’t read of much progress at the Colonel level, critical to maintaining control of the Army, in any kind of internal conflict.
I also suspect that a lot of the protesters are more upset with conditions in Egypt and the Brotherhood’s failure to make life better, rather than ideologically opposed to the Brotherhood.
As for Obama, it’s true that he views foreign affairs as a distraction from his domestic agenda. But I pick intent; “Obama actually favors the existence of an Islamic regime in Egypt.” Indeed his actions throughout the ME make consistent sense once one posits that Obama is fundamentally sympathetic to Islamism and is intentionally abetting the rise of jihadist states across the M.E. For the nation’s sake, I would welcome any evidence to the contrary.
Clearly Obama is not a practicing Muslim but there is far too much circumstantial evidence of his sympathies to ever presume him to be indifferent or even objective, in his views on Islam.
mizpants…
Barry made sure that his public relations office spewed that tidbit… every year… so far.
It never makes the news hole for the MSM.
Most Americans are not aware: Barry’s first public address was to muslims. It was a canned audio bite recorded almost immediately after taking office.
And, you probably remember that his first major speeches — to muslims, of course, were peppered with his perfect Arabic. He’s actually fluent in Arabic. It’s an easy language to pick up — if you limit yourself to just the spoken word.
And Barry — while innumerate — is a polyglot. He is a conversational Zelig.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086637/
Thirty-years ago, he, grandson of my neighbor, struck me as being handsome enough to go into (presidential) politics or Hollywood. I was double correct: he’s a president that plays at it.
Yes, my precognition did give me a shudder.
As daffy as Barry is, he IS following the consensus political ambit common to the University of Hawaii professors and the Punahou School crowd. They really think the same way.
The road to Hell being paved with the best of intentions — in their cases.
Obama is getting enough money and arms to send to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. TO suppress these “reactionaries” on the streets.
“As daffy as Barry is, he IS following the consensus political ambit common to the University of Hawaii professors and the Punahou School crowd. They really think the same way.”
And not just at those two institutions. It’s the same at almost every higher ed school. The last 5 years always seemed to me as if the worst of the people I work with suddenly had total control of the country. He is acting exactly in the way the large majority of the professoriate dream of acting if they had the power.
seems these 2 have the history-based “low down” on Egypt. What we can pray for is simply any “civilization”, not any particular type of civilization:
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/garfinkle/2013/07/01/note-to-clueless-msm-types-abdel-fattah-al-sisi-memorize-that-name/
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2013/06/29/turbulence-ahead-for-egypt/
The Obama administration is, for all intents and purposes, aiding and abetting religious persecution of Christians (Copts) in Egypt and elsewhere. A good discussion of the situation:
Copts Under the Gun
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/352555/copts-under-gun-religious-freedom-egypt-kathryn-jean-lopez
More here about “Obama’s Proxy War on Mideast Christians:”
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/islam/obamas-proxy-war-on-mideast-christians/
Neo, I am fan of Ayn Rand. In Atlas Shrugged her characters in several instances make the statement “Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.” I think of this quite often when trying to evaluate Obama’s actions. In this case Hinderacker needs to check his premises. I am of the opinion that your choice #3 is correct.
The reason why the world hates America… ever wonder about that?
Maybe it’s due to all those Leftists and Democrats Americans keep voting in, who then use American power to kill, enslave, beat down, and humiliate foreigners with no power.
I know the Left has always talked about this and their blow back… but you ever wonder how come 99% of what the Left accuses you of, was only ever true of the Left?
Opposing the Muslim Brotherhood would be something Bushitler and the evil neocons would do.