"On Tuesday, two Republican senators, Lindsey Graham and John McCain, frequent critics of President Obama, said he had asked them to visit Egypt next week to help persuade the interim leaders to move forward with new elections and an inclusive government. The senators said they would convey a bipartisan message from the United States, which has regarded Egypt as a crucial Arab ally in the Middle East for decades and provides $1.5 billion in annual aid.
The decree aimed at ending the sit-ins came shortly after the interim authorities announced they had referred the top spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, and two other senior Islamist figures to a criminal court on charges of incitement to murder. The step was seen as a further expansion of the crackdown on the Brotherhood. " NY Times
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Instinct tells me that a major action is impending against the pro-Mursi street crowds. It would seem that the new Egyptian government is unimpressed with noise from abroad.
Can it be that McCain and Graham will
actually be there when this "goes down?" How splendid that would be! They should take Joe Lieberman with them.
US policyin Egypt since the Bush Administration has been a "perfect storm" of incompetence and naive striving for something that does not exist in Egypt. That non-existent "commodity" is political maturity. pl
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/world/middleeast/egypt.html?_r=0
Just more amateur night at the opera from a government whose “diplomacy” is a national embarrassment
“That non-existent “commodity” is political maturity.”
Political maturity is lacking in more countries than just Egypt.
John McCain on July 8: Withhold the $1.5 billion!
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/07/mccain-suspend-us-aid-to-egypt/
John McCain on July 31: Don’t withhold the $1.5 billion!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/rand-paul-egypt_n_3682775.html
b
It is true that the US, once a country run by adults, is regressing towards decline and fall, but you know quite well that Egypt and the US do not operate on the same level of political sophistication. As for McCain, he is mad and should be pitied. pl
I believe this is more about DC perception than anything happening in Egypt. Obama, for reasons I don’t claim to precisely understand, seems to me to be obsessed with appearing ‘above the fray’. At the ‘center’, albeit at the top of the pile. He will link up with any Republican that will be seen moving in coordination with him on policy . The subject matter is secondary. Not unimportant, perhaps, but secondary. If these two fools were willing to go ‘on Obama’s behalf’…he was more than happy to send them. With instructions to ‘do your damnedest…..whatever’.
But the audience is really about 500 ‘shakers and movers’ in DC who will pronounce how noble our great leader is as ‘reaches out to the other side’. He is moving closer–in his mind–to Mt Rushmore.
jonst
The underlying reality is that the magic 500 in DC and New York have very little control or influence in Egypt. There are too many other actors on the international scene for the Egyptians to need to listen to us. pl
But that is precisely my point Col…this ‘sending the clowns’ to Egypt is not about Egypt. It is Obama appearing ‘non partisan, ‘above the fray’, going the ‘Third Way’, it is simply another opportunity to portray himself as a ‘Statesman’. Not because he is achieving some diplomatic success in Egypt. But demonstrating he, and he alone, can work with the ‘other side’. Indeed, work with his former Presidential opponent. This is his fetish. McCain’s too.
IOW….no, of course the 500 have little (any?) influence on events in the ME. Indeed, the 500 have no influence anywhere that resembles reality. It is the spin control in DC, that is their reality. That is the one Obama and McCain are playing to. This is just the latest iteration of their favorite game…create “The Gang of…” in this case, the ‘Gang of Three’, Obama, McCain, and Graham…..
The “Gang of” always is supposed to symbolized tireless Statesman’ toiling to do good, in a world of ‘partisan bickering’. That is the narrative the 500 love. Live for.
Sounds like we may see a repeat of a Tiananmen Square scenario in Tahir…
Mac
“That non-existent “commodity” is political maturity”. Amen to that. I don’t mean to offend anyone by saying this is very much true for the Muslim countries in MENA. I am struggling to understand why.
tony
The political culture that results in a sometimes ability in Europe and America to have representative democracy based on the idea of “win-win” situations and a loyal opposition is an artifact of western culture. These ideas are not native to the MENA area. They were imported there by colonial administrations, missionary colleges, etc. A basic belief in zero sum game situations and a struggle to the death against opponents IS native to the culture of the MENA area. pl
And now President Obama has just one-upped the Senior Senator from Arizona. See http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-01/furious-white-house-blasts-russian-asylum-snowden
Yes, Mr. Putin was obviously very worried about imperiling a Summit.
We always have to announce our failures. Why can’t we ever just be quiet?
Col Lang
To that point of win win political situations – it seems to me that if we could trade tax reform ie smaller corporate taxes – coupled to an increase revenues for infrastructure & a cessation of the sequester these elements could be made into a “Grand Bargain ” . But alas we cannot seem even to that these days – even as our infrastructure crumples & we have company still leaving continental USA for better tax rates overseas. Its almost as if our Congresscritters are themselves operating in the context of a zero sum game – perhaps not to the death like in MENA – but certainly the zero sum is leading to the inabilty to govern – These United States .
AE
Perhaps you missed the idea that I was describing the principles of our government, not present performance. pl
matthew
The idea that we cannot frighten countries by frowning at them seems unavailable in Washington. pl
Its not going to happen Alba Etie, the behaviour of the current ruling class is modelled on the Russian Kleptocracy.
Col Lang
No sir you and I are in agreement on the principles of our government , and also our share dismay about the lack of present performance in our government .