The White House is flatly rejecting calls from House conservatives to halt U.S. aid to Egypt after a slow response from Cairo in rebuking violent attacks on the U.S. Embassy there Tuesday night.A group of House conservatives, led by freshman Rep. Jeffrey M. Landry, Louisiana Republican, is calling for foreign aid to both Libya and Egypt to be stripped from a six-month federal funding bill up for a vote Thursday.
Egypt is second only to Israel in the amount of assistance it receives from the U.S., an estimated $2 billion a year, but the White House has no plans to curtail its investment there.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Air Force One on Thursday that the U.S. would not withhold aid to Egypt. “We appreciate the public statements that [Egyptian] President Morsi has made condemning acts of violence … and honoring its obligation to ensure the safety of Americans,” he said.
Honored his obligations, did he Jay? How, exactly?
Mr. Morsi on Thursday issued a stronger rebuke to violent protesters in Cairo and Libya, vowing to protect the U.S. Embassy in Cairo after speaking for nearly an hour with President Obama on Wednesday evening. After the new statement, Obama administration officials were toning down their public comments about Egypt and their concern over Mr. MorsiÂ’s slow response to condemning the violent reaction to an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S.
The Obama administration was already wary of Mr. Morsi's Islamist government, and his tepid response after the attacks is giving them new cause for concern.
Oh, it's more than a 'concern'. Perhaps Jay can issue a 'strongly worded statement'?
Mr. Morsi waited a full day before issuing a mild rebuke to the rioters on Facebook while the movement that brought him to power, the Muslim Brotherhood, called for a second day of protests against the anti-Islam film that sparked the protests.
In contrast, Libyan leaders have been fully engaged in cooperating with U.S. authorities to hunt down the killers and bring them to justice and to work to put in place new protections for U.S. personnel in Benghazi and throughout the country.
Are they fully engaged or are they shamming? And how would our people know?
The White House on Thursday acknowledged that its partnership with Egypt continues, although it has changed significantly since last springÂ’s uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
Campaigning in Golden, Colo., Thursday, Mr.
By letting them kill our people?
“Our task, as the most powerful nation on Earth, is to defend and protect and advance our people, but also to defend and protect and advance those values at home and around the world,” he said. “That’s what our troops do. That’s what our diplomats do. That’s what our intelligence officers do. That’s what our citizens do. That’s what we believe. Those are the values that we hold to.”
Egypt has played a critical role in AmericaÂ’s strategic position in the Middle East for decades, but since last springÂ’s uprisings, the U.S. is grappling with an unpredictable relationship with Cairo.
“The U.S. is confronting the reality that if you call for democracy, you may just get it,” said Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Or you may get a new theocratic thugocracy called the 'Muslim Brotherhood'...
While several countries in the region are finding their way, itÂ’s likely that the first elections in countries wonÂ’t produce stable leadership, Mr. Cordesman said, cautioning that the U.S. needs to take the long view and warning officials not to rashly talk about rescinding U.S. aid or risk losing leverage altogether.
Sure Mr. Cordesman. Say, there's an opening to be an ambassador. Want it? You could provide us with your 'long-term vision'...
“I’m not going to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt exactly, but sometimes you need to speak softly and maintain a big aid program,” he said.