Obama Stands With the Reformers

[babylonsister]

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/2/10/22751/5683

Obama Stands With the Reformers

by BooMan
Thu Feb 10th, 2011 at 10:07:51 PM EST


I want to praise the president of the United States tonight for having moral and political courage. Here is his statement on today's events in Egypt.

snip//


Egypt has changed. They no longer will allow their country's policies to be distorted by a failed peace agreement that has never been honored. They want to be able to hold their leaders accountable on both domestic and foreign affairs. Since this distortion has mainly been for our perceived benefit, correcting it comes at a cost for us.

No doubt, Obama has received a lot of nervous advice about how stability has served us very well and that we will pay a high price if friendly dictators in the Middle East start falling like dominoes to be replaced by representatives of the people. That's solid advice because it's true.

Tossing Mubarak aside makes our allies nervous and less reliable as partners. And if Egypt turns into the next Iran, people will say that Obama was too soft, that he got squishy with his human rights "concern," and that he "lost" the Middle East to Islamists.

But even if we pay a price and even if things go horribly wrong, I will still defend the president for changing America and making a clean break with Mubarak while taking an unambiguous stand with the protestors.

[Divernan]

1. According to World BBC's report this morning on Obama's speech

Obama never mentioned Mubarek by name, and has not played the real trump card he holds, which is giving an ultimatum that he will cut off the US's billion dollar plus aid to Egypt, most of which goes to their military.

Thats what BBC reported. Were they incorrect? Did he mention Mubarek by name? Did Obama threaten to cut off US aid to Egypt? What about cutting it by 50%, like the LIHEAP program, and then putting that money in the LIHEAP program?

Pop quiz: Which country, over the last 30 years, has received the second biggest amount of U.S. foreign aid?

If you said Egypt, you should move to the head of the class.

Other than Israel, it’s been at the top of the list, hauling in $2 billion a year, on average.

It’s fallen a little bit as of late. In 2009, it got $1.6 billion, of which $1.3 billion was military aid. And its rank fell to fifth in 2009, behind Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.

But still it gets a ton from the United States, despite Egypt’s a horrendous human rights record. “Torture and other ill-treatment remained widespread in police cells, security police detention centers and prisons, and in most cases were committed with impunity,” according to Amnesty International’s 2010 annual report.

[Radical Activist]

3. ZOMG! He didn't mention Mubarak by name!!!

Holy shit no one in the world will know who Obama was talking about since he didn't mention him by name!!! :eyes:

This is fucking ridiculous. And now Obama is also to blame for the past 30 years of foreign aid and torture that happened under Bush? You're moving the goal posts just like Republicans do.

[Divernan]

5. Amnesty International and BBC -I choose their perspective over yours.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[midnight]

4. So what is this "Universal Rights" comment our president makes?