On his radio show today, Hugh Hewitt
announced that President Obama had "said nothing" about the crisis in Egypt in his remarks today. Hewitt seemed somewhat startled when his guest, Charles Krauthammer, repeatedly praised the president for
what he said and what he's doing:
[The U.S.] had two choices. Do we either say nothing, or even undermine [Egyptian president Hosni] Mubarak, as Jimmy Carter did in 1979 when he kicked the stool out from under the Shah, and then he’s done, or do we try a riskier course, which is we stay with Mubarak, which is what Obama did, but insist that he bring in democrats, bring in reformers, bring in the opposition, and essentially begin a transition out of the Mubarak era. It’s going to end anyway. He’s 82. He’s not going to run any reelection, he’s not going to win reelection, either. His son is not going to take over. So do you want a controlled transition to democracy? Or do you want an abdication, riots in the streets, chaos, out of which it’s more likely that the bad guys are going to win? So I think they chose the slightly more difficult course, staying with the guy who’s quite despised, but insisting that there’s a transition that is obvious to the Egyptians...
On his radio show today, Hugh Hewitt announced that President Obama had "said nothing" about the crisis in Egypt in his remarks today. Hewitt seemed somewhat startled when his guest, Charles Krauthammer, repeatedly praised the president for what he said and what he's doing:
1 comment:
Just as newspapers have obits ready for the departure of the good, the bad and the great when they each a certain age, one would think that U.S. plans (plural) for a sudden change in Egypt would have been in the can. This could play out like Tianeman Square (unlikely), Iran (a little more likely) or an orderly departure of Mubarak and his regime with elections in the near term (the hoped for resolution).
It would be good if Mubarak developed an urge to spend more time with his family in Switzerland perhaps.
Lincoln used the phrase of sailing "point to point" when it came to handling events of great import and variability. His metaphor rested on his experience piloting flatboats down the Mississippi in his youth. He could see only as far as the next bend so he travelled carefully point to point. I guess that is what the Obama Administration must do now.
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