Ace of Spades HQ

February 14, 2011

Thank God Obama Gave That Cairo Speech, Eh?
— Ace

The media wants to give Obama credit for taking The Dangerous Tyrant Mubarak out.

First of all, let us note the obvious: Few in America were really clamoring for Mubarak to be deposed. If this were Iran, I'd say "Well done, Mr. President."

But Egypt is not an enemy -- quite the opposite -- and during Iran's own uprising Obama chose to actually support the regime.

Egypt? On my top five of regimes I want the US to undermine, Egypt places... not on the list. I suppose in an expanded list it would come somewhere between The Netherlands and one of those made-up countries in tv shows, like East Pretendistan.

But even assuming we wished for this to happen (and, um, we didn't), did Obama have a damn thing to do with it?

We know that Bush actually put money into liberalizing Egypt, and Obama not only slashed that funding, but he put a stricture on the funding that it could only flow to groups specifically approved of by the Eygptian government.

It seems when it comes to even soft power, Obama's against it -- he's not only willing to do business with dictators, he's positively giddy at the prospect.

And Verum Serum has dug up this clip of Obama, praising Mubarak as a "stalwart ally" and "force for good in the region" and refusing the interviewer's terming of Mubarak as an "autocrat."

As Verum Serum says: "Not exactly a 'tear down this wall' moment."

The MFM wants to credit Obama with this because they need to credit him with something; for such a transformative figure in politics, Obama has almost no actual objective successes. (Subjective successes in the form of liberal political deliverables, yes, but those are easy; what about unambiguously good deliverables?) So they're desperate to throw a few scraps of fabric on The Naked Emperor.

But beyond that, they want to tout soft power (persuasion, money, diplomacy) over hard power (war and threats of such). They want to hold up Egypt as a place where soft power triumphed, so take that, neocon war mongers!

Let me circle back to the earlier part about no one particularly wanting Egypt's regime to fall. It's not a success to have something happen that no one attempted to make happen. This is like taking a randomly fired shot with a gun, accidentally hitting your neighbor's car window, and then telling your neighbor You're welcome. Well, he didn't ask you to do that and you didn't even aim at that; on what basis are you taking credit?

But more fundamentally, conservatives have never argued that soft power isn't useful. 95% of all international kefuffles are handled with soft power: we jawbone the Chinese about devaluating their currency; we do not go to war with them. We agitate for Norway and Japan to stop killing so many whales; we do not bomb them. We press Mexico to clamp down on border crossings -- oh wait, we don't do that, but we theoretically could.

In short, we do not go to war over every dispute. In fact we go to war over very few of them.

Conservatives have never taken the position that soft power should be abandoned or is useless, and that warfare is the only tool in our foreign policy box.

No, we never claimed that, so Egypt can't serve as a refutation to a thesis never offered.

On the other hand, the liberals have offered an extremely radical idea -- the idea that only soft power should be used in any foreign dispute, no matter how serious, and that soft power works to fix everything.

That is the radical idea, the idea that hard power has no usefulness nor any justification in the modern world.

So yes, soft power is fine for Egypt, a country which wasn't threatening us (and indeed was doing us a rather good turn as far as clamping down on terrorism). And soft power is fine for Japan, and for China, and for Canada and most other countries.

And no conservatives ever said otherwise.

On the other hand, liberal foreign policy experts have claimed, essentially, that war is illegal and always the worst possible policy choice.

The case of Egypt does not speak to their premise at all. But they're hoping the uniformed out there come away thinking it's been proven -- all because Obama attempted to prop up yet another Muslim dictator and failed at it yet again.

Posted by: Ace at 12:07 PM | Comments (99)
Post contains 758 words, total size 4 kb.

1 Michael Vick - check
Chicago Bears - check
Pittsburgh Steelers - check
Egypt?

Hmm.

Posted by: Fritz at February 14, 2011 12:11 PM (GwPRU)

2 This wasn't so much soft-power as flip-flop-flip power anyway.

Posted by: Waterhouse at February 14, 2011 12:12 PM (lTcL2)

3 Foreign policy via windsock-gauging.

Posted by: Waterhouse at February 14, 2011 12:12 PM (lTcL2)

4 right, but even if it were-- Um, replicate this "success" with a regime we want to fall, like North Korea or Iran, and then i'll say "thank you."

Posted by: ace at February 14, 2011 12:13 PM (nj1bB)

5 You know, I'd really like to ask one of these liberals who are so giddy that an ally (no matter how less-than-savory) just got deposed: In what way is this, objectively, good for the United States?

Because, based on how we were treated by Mubarak (and his keeping of the Camp David accords) there really isn't much place to go, upwardly speaking. As far as our own interests, the best we get is status quo. And we're unlikely even to get that.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at February 14, 2011 12:13 PM (8y9MW)

6 So Obama was not calling for "happy clappy democracy"?

Posted by: Penfold at February 14, 2011 12:14 PM (1PeEC)

7 "Soft power" doesn't work unless there is the credible threat of hard power behind it.

Posted by: Otis Criblecoblis at February 14, 2011 12:15 PM (fjoLg)

8 Donald Trump11!!1!!1

Posted by: The guy who shouts Donald Trump at February 14, 2011 12:16 PM (le5qc)

9 I don't like my hash. It makes me look like a Scandi.

Posted by: Otis Criblecoblis at February 14, 2011 12:17 PM (fjoLg)

10 So they're desperate to throw a few scraps of fabric on The Naked Emperor. Well, for certain parts of Bambi only a scrap is necessary.

Posted by: Somebody had to say it eventually at February 14, 2011 12:17 PM (RD7QR)

11 Hey let them give Obama ALL the credit for what happened in Egypt and I mean ALL THE CREDIT. Just get back to me in 6-8 months and lets see how things are going. But remember OBMAMA GETS ALL THE CREDIT!

Posted by: nevergiveup at February 14, 2011 12:17 PM (0GFWk)

12 Some'll take the carrot, some'll need the stick.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at February 14, 2011 12:18 PM (XGTwp)

13 Well the MSM is kind of between a rock and a hard place on this. We haven't seen the end of the story yet and it's hard to get ahead of the narrative.

If this turns out to be a bad thing, then it was Bush's fault. If this turns out to be a good thing then it's Obama's success (despite his cutting funding for Egyptian democracy.) They aren't yet sure how to spin the stories.

Posted by: some wench at February 14, 2011 12:18 PM (bqjJT)

14 I wonder if Obama (pbuh) would be so enthusiastic about the possibilities of freedom had these protests occurred in the streets and squares of Havana or Caracas?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo (NJConservative) at February 14, 2011 12:18 PM (LH6ir)

15 OT Major major "social issue" concern troll on air right now on Hannity.

Posted by: MīcÞeMūß at February 14, 2011 12:20 PM (0q2P7)

But isn't that where the world's supply of unobtainium is?

Posted by: Soona at February 14, 2011 12:20 PM (GABXp)

17
~ The Almighty tells me he can get me out of this mess, but he's pretty sure you're fucked.~

The Egyptians are fucked. Thanks, Obama!

Posted by: Black Label Soothsayer at February 14, 2011 12:20 PM (uFokq)

18 It must be time in the cycle for the regular troll army to take over for the troll militia.

Posted by: MīcÞeMūß at February 14, 2011 12:21 PM (0q2P7)

19 They're really heading their bets that Egypt turns out okay. If the Islamists take control will the MFM still credit Obama?

(I think I know the answer to that question. )

Posted by: taylork at February 14, 2011 12:22 PM (MC1uU)

20 They're really heading their bets that Egypt turns out okay. If the Islamists take control will the MFM still credit Obama? (I think I know the answer to that question. ) Posted by: taylork at February 14, 2011 04:22 PM (MC1uU) Then it's Bush or Israel's fault

Posted by: nevergiveup at February 14, 2011 12:23 PM (0GFWk)

21 I did it with Wi Fi, you know.

Posted by: B. Obama at February 14, 2011 12:23 PM (XdlcF)

22 But isn't that where the world's supply of unobtainium is?

But It's under the village of a beautiful and diverse indigenous culture that has found perfect harmony with nature.

Posted by: MīcÞeMūß at February 14, 2011 12:24 PM (0q2P7)

23 WE WILL FIGHT TO FREE THE OPPRESSED PPLZ OF TUDOR AND FORDOR!!!!

Posted by: The Roi Tanners at February 14, 2011 12:24 PM (7+pP9)

24 O/T:
Michael Medved is a tool.

That is all.

Posted by: Barbarian at February 14, 2011 12:24 PM (EL+OC)

25
I can think of many far worse dictators than Mubarak that are expressly dedicated to an anti-American mission.

Castro, Chavez, Ahmadinjihad, Qaddafi, Lulu the asshole in Brazil, ...

Posted by: Black Label Soothsayer at February 14, 2011 12:25 PM (uFokq)

But even assuming we wished for this to happen (and, um, we didn't), did Obama have a damn thing to do with it?

But the Media does believe Obama's actions had an effect on this. And they also believe that the clothes they wear on Sunday helps their football team to win.

Posted by: buzzion at February 14, 2011 12:25 PM (oVQFe)

27 Bullshit, ace. Give the president some credit. When he was inaugurated, he SAID that this would be the moment that the oceans would begin to fall, the planet would start to cool, and stuff. Look at this winter: record low temperatures and snowfall. What do YOU attribute that to? Clearly his policies are working - it's fucking freezing up here, Mr. Bigglesworth. He can't mention EVERY miracle he was going to perform - he only had a couple of hours to speak. Clearly, causing a dictator to step down would be covered under "and stuff." So it wasn't a PLANNED miracle. It was a miracle of opportunity. Quit yer bitchin'.

Posted by: Empire of Jeff, Chairman of the Nonpartisan Anti-nickless/logprof League at February 14, 2011 12:27 PM (caOCZ)

28
Obama 'pulled the economy from the brink' of depression.

This myth isn't even questioned in the media, why would they question whether or not Obama single-handedly brought democracy to Egypt?

Posted by: Black Label Soothsayer at February 14, 2011 12:27 PM (uFokq)

29 Liberals. The Alfred E. Newman's of the planet.

Not true they worry plenty about stuff. You getting paid $5 more an hour than your neighbor. What your level of fitness is. Are you and your kids getting enough exercise.
don't forget
This year was en-aggregate 0.5F warmer than last year. THE TERROR!!!!

No they "worry" plenty. Worrying gives them a sense of self worth. They just don't worry about real problems.

Posted by: MīcÞeMūß at February 14, 2011 12:28 PM (0q2P7)

30 C'mon guys, Sparky went to Harvard. Only the best and brightest go to Harvard. Everyone knows the Ivy League is superior to state universities. Just ask anyone on TeeVee!!!

Posted by: Tigtog at February 14, 2011 12:28 PM (Q5+Og)

31 But It's under the village of a beautiful and diverse indigenous culture that has found perfect harmony with nature.

Posted by: MīcÃžeMūÃŸ at February 14, 2011 04:24 PM (0q2P7)

It's under Santa Fe, NM??

Posted by: Soona at February 14, 2011 12:29 PM (GABXp)

32 Just ask anyone on TeeVee!!! Posted by: Tigtog at February 14, 2011 04:28 PM (Q5+Og) Ya mean ask Charlie Sheen's opinion?

Posted by: nevergiveup at February 14, 2011 12:30 PM (0GFWk)

33 The dickweed still isn't taking questions either. No one puts King Barky in the corner, especially without his teleprompter.

Since the Iranians are protesting in the streets again (and of course getting gassed and beaten for their troubles), where is this great leadership I've been hearing so much about?

MBM? Bueller? Anyone?

Posted by: GnuBreed at February 14, 2011 12:30 PM (h0RtZ)

34 I don't know about all this Egypt stuff, I was just happy to see nickless and logprof freed. I am not sure why because they are both a couple of pricks but hey it's something.

Posted by: robtr at February 14, 2011 12:30 PM (hVDig)

35
Like I said, this is the perfect opportunity for a Republican such as Ilea Ros-Lithium to mention the Cuban people might be inspired by the Egyptians to overthrow the dictator Castro.

You see *that's* how you shove it right back up Obama's and the media's asses.

Posted by: Black Label Soothsayer at February 14, 2011 12:30 PM (uFokq)

Ace on fire.

Posted by: Ben at February 14, 2011 12:31 PM (wuv1c)

37 Will Obama take credit for all the dead people that will be killed in copycat uprisings? I think not.

Posted by: sTevo at February 14, 2011 12:32 PM (VMcEw)

38 By the way, apparently Iran is on the boil again. I would be nice if CNN could spare a little time and report on it like they did Egypt. Yeah, right.

Posted by: jjshaka at February 14, 2011 12:33 PM (X6LkO)

39 I am not sure why because they are both a couple of pricks but hey it's something.

Next time you get your prick trapped you see how much better it is when it's freed.

Posted by: nickless has left the banned at February 14, 2011 12:34 PM (MMC8r)

"You see *that's* how you shove it right back up Obama's and the media's asses."

You could add Chavez to that list also. I would love to watch the CNN heads explode.

Posted by: Tigtog at February 14, 2011 12:35 PM (Q5+Og)

41
Astonishing how all the violence is forgotten as if it never happened.

100-300 people dead.

Posted by: Black Label Soothsayer at February 14, 2011 12:35 PM (uFokq)

42 East Pretendistan.

Gold, Jerry. Comedy Gold.

Unless of course, that is a euphemism for the state of new york. Then I would say it should be higher on the list of overthrows.

Posted by: Guy Fawkes at February 14, 2011 12:35 PM (xdHzq)

Ace on fire.

Posted by: Ben at February 14, 2011 04:31 PM (wuv1c)

Ah shit! Ace has been bathing in Val-u-Rite and smoking again. Someone get the extinguisher.

Posted by: Soona at February 14, 2011 12:35 PM (GABXp)

44 BUT FLIP FLOP FLIP WORKED!!#!@#!@#!!

Posted by: Blonde Libtard on MSNBC at February 14, 2011 12:38 PM (ngD76)

45 Clearly, causing a dictator to step down would be covered under "and stuff."

lol!

Posted by: Derak at February 14, 2011 12:38 PM (CjpKH)

It's easy for a dictator's army chief to take over when there are hundreds of thousands of protestors in the street saying "Mubarak Out!".

Is it a revolution? Sure (although coup d'etat would be more accurate).

Is it a new Democracy? Hell, no!

Did Obama make it happen? Double hell no!

Will 6 months of military control end in a new Democracy? Unlikely in most countries - - a MILLION TO ONE chance in an Islamic majority country with no tradition of popular rule.

Who lost Egypt? Obama lost Egypt. But he'll blame GW Bush of course.

Posted by: Kortezzi at February 14, 2011 12:39 PM (zAZNI)

47 It's not a success to have something happen that no one attempted to make happen.

Not only that, its not like democracy has happened in Egypt. So far they have traded MuBu's dictatorship for a military dictatorship, and a likely MuzBro victory if there is an election. I see little success to crow about yet.

Posted by: Guy Fawkes at February 14, 2011 12:39 PM (xdHzq)

Soft power only works through the leverage provided by the credible threat of hard power.

This is so obvious that it's axiomatic.

Unless you're a leftwing bozo, of course.

Posted by: Warden at February 14, 2011 12:40 PM (MZ8Zz)

49 Wasn't Mubarak head of the Air Force and put into office after Sadat's assignation BY THE Military?

Man this is like Deja Vue all over again?

But, when Obama came to the fork in the road, he took it!

Posted by: Sec of State Yogi at February 14, 2011 12:41 PM (JpFM9)

I suppose in an expanded list it would come somewhere between The Netherlands and one of those made-up countries in tv shows, like East Pretendistan.

Long live Olga, the true and rightful queen of the Bessarovia!

Posted by: FireHorse at February 14, 2011 12:41 PM (k3RPu)

51 To credit the vapid pablum of the Cairo speech with anything is just the continuation of the intellectual dishonesty to which we have been subjected since 2006 or so. The entire content of that speech "devoted" to democracy was four paragraphs and, as usual, they were loaded with I, me, my and mine.

For those needing a scorecard, 99% of the credit for whatever we are calling what happened in Egypt (and I remain extremely skeptical of a positive end state) goes to the poor Tunisian kid who had his vegetable stand confiscated, resulting in his suicide and all events that have ensued.

Posted by: Circa (Insert Year Here) at February 14, 2011 12:42 PM (7hOJb)

52 You know that speech in Cairo?

Obama gave it in Australian!

That is why it was sooo powerful.

Posted by: Sec of State Yogi at February 14, 2011 12:43 PM (JpFM9)

53 Wasn't Mubarak head of the Air Force and put into office after Sadat's assignation BY THE Military?

IIRC, Mubu was named VP and then 2 weeks later Sadat was dead.

Posted by: Guy Fawkes at February 14, 2011 12:45 PM (xdHzq)

54 The real highlight of the Indonesian Imbecile's Cairo leg of his World Traitor Tour was when he apologized for colonialism. That was an instant classic.

An alleged American apologizing to the primitives in Egypt for the evils of colonialism ...

Posted by: iknowtheleft at February 14, 2011 12:45 PM (N49h9)

Soft power only works through the leverage provided by the credible threat of hard power.

This is so obvious that it's axiomatic.

Unless you're a leftwing bozo, of course.

Yup. When we have five acres of badass American sovereignty steaming off the shore of any country, soft power will work almost every time.

Posted by: Soona at February 14, 2011 12:45 PM (GABXp)

56 So, I hereby call upon Barack Obama to deliver the Magic Words of Liberation to Tehran, Caracas, Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang, and Damascus.

What, he can't do it again?

Bush liberated what, 35 million Muslims, at a cost of blood and treasure, when Barack Obama simply needed to speak to make it happen? All right, then, let it be done. Speak up, sucker.

He's overdue on Tehran, anyway.

Posted by: nickless has left the banned at February 14, 2011 12:45 PM (MMC8r)

That chubby jewish girl had a soft power...

soft bottom,

soft lips,

soft breasts,

soft thighs,

soft hair,

soft shoulders...

Good times...heheh.

Posted by: Bubba C. at February 14, 2011 12:46 PM (pr+up)

58 If I flip-flop quickly and often enough, I create a pleasing hum which soothes our enemies...

Posted by: Barry OZero at February 14, 2011 12:49 PM (FcR7P)

Astonishing how all the violence is forgotten as if it never happened.

100-300 people dead.

That's when Bush was president!

(As long as we're just making up crap.)

Posted by: FireHorse at February 14, 2011 12:49 PM (k3RPu)

60 Six months from now:

The police military did something stupid.

Posted by: The One at February 14, 2011 12:49 PM (JpFM9)

61 No one could have foreseen that day that America foreign policy would be flip-flop-flipped by a man of African descent.

Posted by: Nostalgic One-liner at February 14, 2011 12:50 PM (VMcEw)

62 So, I hereby call upon Barack Obama to deliver the Magic Words of Liberation to... Havana. If his Magical Powers of Flip-Floppery can't affect Cuba, then he has none.

Posted by: t-bird at February 14, 2011 12:51 PM (FcR7P)

63 63 So, I hereby call upon Barack Obama to deliver the Magic Words of Liberation to...

Havana. If his Magical Powers of Flip-Floppery can't affect Cuba, then he has none.

I plan to recognize Cuba and immediately start using their health care if you bastards repeal mine.

Then cigars all around!

Posted by: The One at February 14, 2011 12:52 PM (JpFM9)

The media just can't face up to the fact that Mubarak's final act as president of Egypt was to make fools of them and Dear Leader. Well played, Mubarak. Well played.

Posted by: Soona at February 14, 2011 12:53 PM (GABXp)

65 Had John Kerry been VP America coulda had a pair of flip-flops.

Posted by: sTevo at February 14, 2011 12:53 PM (VMcEw)

66 I plan to recognize Cuba and immediately start using their health care if you bastards repeal mine.

Then cigars all around!

Posted by: The One at February 14, 2011 04:52 PM (JpFM9)

Sign me up!

Posted by: Bubba C. at February 14, 2011 12:53 PM (pr+up)

67 Think of this.

No one knows Where the fuck Mubu is now?

Our great CIA and NSA can not find a third world X dictator?

Yeah right, that smell is mighty fishy to me. Wonder if any democrats have phone contracts in Egypt like Haiti?

Posted by: Kemp at February 14, 2011 12:56 PM (JpFM9)

68 I don't see why they would want to take credit for this. The situation, when viewed from our point of view, can't get any better than it was for us. Peace with Israel, check. Non-theocratic government, check. Help in the War on Terror, check. Now...all of those checks are question marks.

Posted by: MJ at February 14, 2011 12:57 PM (BKOsZ)

69 If Barky keeps treating friendly regimes like so much dog poo on his shoe, someone with unfriendly intel on his real background is gonna drop a dime in a way that the MBM won't have any answers for.
It's not like any of them have a reason to fear this trojan horse weakling
It'll be a fitting comeuppance for the fraud of the century.

Posted by: Chief Barry Brody at February 14, 2011 12:58 PM (HBqDo)

70 This takes on what is the usual argument against conservative ideas; the straw man. We're always wanting to bomb everybody, from fictional terrorists to spotted owls, according to liberals. It's garbage and the media perpetuates this garbage.

Posted by: UGAdawg at February 14, 2011 12:59 PM (osx1V)

71 Our great CIA and NSA can not find a third world X dictator? We've got top men on it, but he's not returning their tweets...

Posted by: Obama's CIA and NSA at February 14, 2011 01:00 PM (FcR7P)

72 I thought I hampered that fuckin' sock 3 hours ago.

Posted by: ontherocks at February 14, 2011 01:00 PM (HBqDo)

73 I think Dear Leader got his idea of flip-flop-flip foreign policy was from the sound of Moochelle's vibrating dildo.

Posted by: Soona at February 14, 2011 01:00 PM (GABXp)

74 #69

You left this out:

In a Cairese journal called The Left, Aryan Nasif calculates that the aid has totaled $19 billion since 1975, of which $3 billion have gone for agriculture and food, then lists its many negative consequences

Did I mention the $1.3 billion we are giving the Military, THIS YEAR?

What this was about is the rising cost of wheat and our unwillingness to be an open check book.

Sound familiar? Remember when Jimmy Carter cut off the CIA bribes to the Mullahs? They do and still do.

Posted by: Kemp at February 14, 2011 01:01 PM (JpFM9)

Yep, it was all Obama. He freed the Egyptians and in the process pissed off Israel and the Saudis. Of course, it doesn't matter. He is God, doncha know?

I still, and forevermore hate the basturd.

Posted by: Steph at February 14, 2011 01:02 PM (AkdC5)

76 If the MFM are planning to credit Cairo as an Obama victory, it can only be because it won't ever be mentioned again. That's the only way they could with surety give him credit for this.

My prediction is that when you take a country with the Muslim Brotherhood, "Death to Israel" chants, and a majority favoring Sharia Law, the result won't be a peaceful Jeffersonian democracy.

Posted by: Bevel Lemelisk at February 14, 2011 01:03 PM (TpXEI)

77 This year was an aggregate 0.5F warmer than last year. What alarms the nitwits is extrapolating that 'trend' for another 100 years. It's like 3000% bad!

Posted by: t-bird at February 14, 2011 01:03 PM (FcR7P)

78 Next?

I free Kenya for my dad by installing a military ruler!

Fuck you Britain.

Posted by: The One at February 14, 2011 01:03 PM (JpFM9)

79 @7, 49. 56

Actually, soft and hard power work in complementary ways. Soft power doesn't always need hard to make it effective, but it sure helps. Likewise, going in with guns blazing doesn't necessarily win unless you have the political strategy and endgame nailed--witness our debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soft power can also enable the hard, by setting the conditions for success with allies and fence-sitters (think about base access, coalition building, delivering messages to countries we don't have diplomatic relations with, etc).

If the stereotype is that conservatives are too quick on the trigger, I'd say most liberals don't have a clue about the utility of hard power in diplomacy.

Posted by: Arms Merchant at February 14, 2011 01:05 PM (VKRmb)

80 So what will be the MFM line when Egypt goes to shit? I'm guessing it will be Iraq was Bush's fault, Egypt saw democracy and revolted, the Muslim Brotherhood takes over, . . . Egypt as a terrorist state is Bush's fault!

Posted by: MJ at February 14, 2011 01:08 PM (BKOsZ)

81 If the MFM are planning to credit Cairo as an Obama victory, it can only be because it won't ever be mentioned again. That's the only way they could with surety give him credit for this.

My prediction is that when you take a country with the Muslim Brotherhood, "Death to Israel" chants, and a majority favoring Sharia Law, the result won't be a peaceful Jeffersonian democracy.

Posted by: Bevel Lemelisk at February 14, 2011 05:03 PM (TpXEI)

The MFM are getting their 2012 Obama Re-election Campaign soundbites in now. From now on, especially if there's no movement toward elections or it's taken over by the MB, it's Bush's Egypt.

Posted by: Soona at February 14, 2011 01:10 PM (GABXp)

82 En Fuego!

Posted by: that guy that shouts enfuego! at February 14, 2011 01:16 PM (GTbGH)

83 Eleventy! Good post ACE!

Posted by: Chisum.., John Chisum at February 14, 2011 01:17 PM (SyLEU)

84 For his next miracle, Obama will have the British rise up to overthrow their oppressive monarchy. It will be his George Washington Moment to follow up on his Reagan Moment (Egypt) and his earlier Lincoln Moment (his simply being The One) on Goofball (or is it Oddball?) with Chrissy Matthews.

Posted by: Reiver at February 14, 2011 01:19 PM (TPbXK)

85 Stupidity, Intelligence, and Egypt
at AS

Posted by: sTevo at February 14, 2011 01:21 PM (VMcEw)

86 You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there.

Dat true!

Posted by: Sec of State Yogi at February 14, 2011 01:23 PM (JpFM9)

87 Likewise, going in with guns blazing doesn't necessarily win unless you have the political strategy and endgame nailed--witness our debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Posted by: Arms Merchant at February 14, 2011 05:05 PM (VKRmb)

The proper endgame is to burn the city to the ground, kill everyone in sight, and salt the fields so that no one ever returns. Worked for us.

Screw the politics. They had their chance.

Posted by: Scipio Africanus at February 14, 2011 01:23 PM (N49h9)

88 #89, cut, jib, newsletter.

Posted by: SGT Dan at February 14, 2011 01:35 PM (HBTr7)

89 If you like your dictator, you can keep your dictator.

Posted by: Prezident Obamer at February 14, 2011 01:43 PM (AXHCj)

90 Yo, Scip, you're about 1200 miles up the Med coast, there.
Look up how Rome dealt with Egypt, and vice versa, and despair.

1, we don't do empire, asshole,
2, when we try we fuck it up, and
3, how bad do you want to be the next republic converted to dictatorship?

I only ask because I care so deeply, also your head being up your ass.

Posted by: comatus at February 14, 2011 01:50 PM (W5ilH)

I with the idea that it's absurd to take credit for something that was not even done on purpose, and was not even his doing (although Obama may have helped this move along, once he saw the proverbial "writing on the wall"). But I can't fully climb on board with blanket criticisms about how bad it is for even this dictator to be ousted. Dictators are bad, all 'round - it matters not that he's our friend.

That being said, it's certainly screwy to try to take credit when anybody with half a clue is seriously worried about what will fill the void. The military still runs the place, but I've been impressed by their actions so far, and with the Egyptian people in general.

The MFM is banking on the simplistic idea that a dictator going away sounds good, and is making hay from Obama's pretty tangential actions. If everything goes terribly wrong, they'll simply point the finger of blame somewhere else, and count on their usual audience following along like sleepwalkers.

Posted by: Optimizer at February 14, 2011 01:59 PM (2lTU+)

Say, has anybody asked the question of where there Muslim countries suddenly got the idea that Muslim people could be free, and govern themselves democratically? I mean, I realize that a marxist would readily believe that a marxist from America coming over and bad-mouthing the world's most successful democracy would so the trick, but I expect that in the real world people might look to real-life examples before putting their lives on the line.

Perhaps Iraq and Afghanistan are being proven the 2nd "shot heard 'round the world" that was hoped at the time. The idea is getting through that the new Iraqi democracy is here to stay - and that's powerful, even despite it's faults.

And let's not forget to keep noting the irony of Obama inadvertantly adopting the Bush Doctrine, despite having essentially run against Bush. "Change"!!

Posted by: Optimizer at February 14, 2011 02:10 PM (2lTU+)

93 Ace, I wouldn't say Obama quite backed the Iranian regime in 2009, he just gave belated and very weak support to the protestors. I was furious at the time and thought he should've done much more much earlier, but it's not quite support for the regime.

Posted by: Knemon at February 14, 2011 03:50 PM (TT7F/)

Of course Obie gets the credit...wouldn't want the plebes to think 'mob rulz' might work or sumpthin'....

If camping out in DC for 2-3 weeks and throwing rocks around the WhiteHouse would get Obie to step down, I'd do it! Wonder how many million other people wish it would?

Posted by: Stillwater at February 14, 2011 04:20 PM (0GpN4)

95 I don't see why they would want to take credit for this. The situation, when viewed from our point of view, can't get any better than it was for us.

Peace with Israel, check.
Non-theocratic government, check.
Help in the War on Terror, check.

Now...all of those checks are question marks.

Posted by: MJ at February 14, 2011 04:57 PM (BKOsZ)

But in their bizarro world, they want war with Israel, a takeover of Egypt for radical jihadists, and the end of the war on terror. So they think this is an accomplishment.

Posted by: Miss Marple at February 14, 2011 04:53 PM (Fo83G)

96 #92, America doesn't do empire. What America does do is cultural annihilation.

This goes back even before Andrew Jackson. There are entire cultures that ceased to exist because they got in the way of the United States of America. We will usually ignore those cultures until they either A., have something we want, or B., pose an existential threat. Then the switch goes from "Ignore" to "Destroy".

Ask the Lenape, the Pequots, the Shawnee, the Lakota, etc. Ask the Moros in the Philippines, or the Japanese Empire.

Eventually the Muslims will shove us to a point we don't want to be shoved any longer, and at that point, all bets are off, political correctness goes out the window, and we see how well the Trident II/W88 combinations work in a live-fire exercise.

Posted by: SGT Dan at February 14, 2011 04:58 PM (HBTr7)

97 I realize the thread is probably dead, but come on, Ace--what has violence ever solved.
Slavery. Fascism. Communism. Terrorism.
Yeah, apart from those, what is good war good for?

Posted by: Xenophon at February 14, 2011 10:43 PM (DasBz)

98 thanks for sharing

Posted by: altýn çilek at February 17, 2011 02:44 AM (x1bDn)

99 test

Posted by: joe blow at February 17, 2011 03:12 PM (7H/n0)

Hide Comments | Add Comment | Refresh | Top

Comments are disabled. Post is locked.

121kb generated in CPU 0.1168, elapsed 0.2252 seconds.
64 queries taking 0.1958 seconds, 227 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.