It's not like you were out in front of the crisis jawboning Mubarak to step aside. And now you're displeased? That takes chutzpah.
At WaPo, "Mubarak Announcement Disappoints Obama Administration":
President Obama said Tuesday that a transition to democracy in Egypt "must begin now" and should lead to opposition participation in free and fair elections.Hey, for the overly cautious, standing on the sidelines of history is good foreign policy. But I think most folks have seen this White House shaking in its boots amid an epic "3:00am" moment.
Speaking after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's announcement Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in September, Obama said he had called Mubarak after the speech and discussed the situation in Egypt with him.
"He recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and that change must take place," Obama said at the White House. He said he told Mubarak of "my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now."
Earlier, Obama administration officials indicated that Mubarak's announcement was less than they had hoped for and was unlikely to satisfy protesters' demands for a new government.
Obama met with his top national security officials following Mubarak's televised speech as the White House contemplated its next step.
Mubarak spoke after receiving a direct message from Obama carried by retired U.S. diplomat Frank G. Wisner. Although officials declined to discuss the details of Wisner's meeting with Mubarak Tuesday, they said that the administration's "prevailing view" since last weekend has been that an agreement by Mubarak not to run again was insufficient.
In public statements since Sunday, the administration has called for an "orderly transition" in Egypt, defined by officials as the immediate establishment of a representative, interim government that would enact reforms and prepare for an open election.
Although officials have said the administration was not opposed to Mubarak's remaining in office through a transition period if that were acceptable to the Egyptian people, several indicated in recent days that they did not see how that would satisfy the vast throngs who have taken to the streets to demand his ouster.
Obama's message to Mubarak urging him not to run again contrasted sharply with the White House's characterization of its position in a news briefing Monday.
AP video c/o The Other McCain.
More later ...
3 comments:
Man, I'm glad the US left had us elect this small beer guy from Chicago rather than the distinguished war hero Senator who has many years doing this kind of stuff.
Good job guys, and gals.
Obama is clearly frustrated that his Muslim Brotherhood friends cannot start their power grab NOW. He is afraid that in a truly free and fair election the Brotherhood would end up to be only a minority faction in their parliament.
I hope they use the next few months to plan, coordinate and put into effect free and fair national elections. Mubarek and many others are just starting to realize exactly where Obama is coming from and where he wants to go.
One wonders if there is any dictator that fears or respects Obama? Maybe if Mubarak had his uniform on Valarie Jarrett could ask him to get her another drink. This action by an insider indicative of how clueless the Obama administration is on anything other than community organizing and even in that they seem to have done a better job helping to create and strengthening the TEA party.
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