Boston Globe sees Egypt as Bush's work

[Mass]

I am not of those who think president Obama has a huge responsibility in what happened in Egypt. It is the Egyptian people who showed the courage.

But Bush? Seriously?

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/02/13/bush_program_helped_lay_the_groundwork_in_egypt/?page=1

A small, controversial effort launched under President George W. Bush to fund and train election monitors in Egypt played a key role in the movement to topple President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

The program, which provided millions in direct funding to prodemocracy groups, helped dispatch 13,000 volunteers to observe Egypt’s parliamentary elections in December. Thousands of those monitors, angered by what they said was blatant election rigging, joined the protests. Some became outspoken leaders; others used the networking and communication skills they learned to help coordinate 18 days of rallies.
...
“I certainly feel vindicated,’’ said Charles King Mallory IV, a former aide to Elizabeth Cheney, who could not be reached for comment.
...
Donna Woolf, spokeswoman for the State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative, blamed the difficult budget environment for the cut. But she said the Obama administration funneled more money to independent groups than Bush, with $2.6 million directly funding groups that don’t have the Egyptian government’s permission to operate.

“The vibrancy and strength of Egyptian civil society that’s been on display this past week is testament to the wisdom of our strategy,’’ she said in a statement.

But many activists said Bush deserves the credit. “As a social scientist and an activist, I have to be honest, the Bush administration did more for what is happening in Egypt now,’’ Ibrahim said.

[ananda]

1. Crackbrained.

Foreign policy of the last fifty or sixty years is responsible.

That's why I'm concerned about the army, now in charge, continuing
in complicity with that policy.

[FreakinDJ]

2. WTF have they been Smoking

[JoePhilly]

3. Surprised they didn't give the credit to Reagan.

Usually the Bush years (all 12) go unmentioned, like they never happened.

[Ian David]

4. At least, if it all goes to shit, we can point to those right-wingers giving Bush credit now. n/t

[LeftyAndProud60]

5. Cheney didn't seem so giddy to see Mubarak go. And neither did any of them until he left. Damn Left

media

[karynnj]

6. I was at a NYC rally for Egypt yesterday - all I can say is that the ones given credit were the

EGYPTIANS - not Obama, not Bush - just the people of Eqypt.

[DCKit]

7. Unfortunately, they won't have the good taste to go into permanent hiding...

if it turns out to be a theocracy. They'll be doing the M$M shows 24/7 saying "Obama had the chance to "give" democracy to the Egyptian people, but blew it."

He can't win with them, so there's no point in trying to impress.