Posted on 02/05/2011 1:59:09 PM PST by kristinn
Amid calls for President Hosni Mubarak to not wait until the end of his term to step down, the U.S. special envoy to Egypt told the Munich Security Conference that the 30-year ruler needs to stick around fro now.
Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt deployed there this past week to apparently urge Mubarak to hand over the reins, said Saturday that the transition "is an ideal moment for him to show the way forward."
Wisner spoke to the conference via video link from New York.
"We need to get a national consensus around the pre-conditions for the next step forward. The president must stay in office to steer those changes," he said.
"I believe that President Mubarak's continued leadership is critical -- it's his chance to write his own legacy," Wisner added, according to reports.
President Obama also referred to Mubarak's legacy Friday in appealing for him to make "the right decision" and "make a judgment about a pathway forward that is orderly but also meaningful and serious."
Wisner said caution should be exercised in the transition because "this is a very volatile and dangerous time."
"The more Egyptians hear from the outside world that the president's got to go, and this has got to happen, that's got to happen, we create a negative force inside of Egypt itself," he said in arguing that rhetoric shouldn't get out of control.
Those people cannot be trusted with democracy...they simply cannot govern themselves in an intelligent manner.
If mu-Barack can’t go, maybe Barack can?
“is an ideal moment for him to show the way forward.”
Show who the way forward, Obama???
Or Islam? Or both?
Amb Wisner doesn’t really have to protect his reputation, because his reputation proceeds him. I used to work for him. He calls them as he sees them, and his legacy is intact.
He was the most beloved American Ambassador to Egypt.....ever. Even the Egyptians will tell you that.
And as an example of his leadership and mentorship.....he produced Amb Ryan Crocker: who was his political secretary in the late 80’s.
He is honestly and strongly implying that Obama needs to zip it, that is continuing demands on Mubarak only serve to humiliate him in public and stir up trouble.
Fair enough, but Amb. Wisner is a diplomat.
Why would he cross swords with the President?
He sounds good.
He probably represents the time when being in the Foreign Service was a profession. Ambassadorships now seem to be based entirely on political pay-backs (even leaving out truly glaring cases like the recent fiasco in Luxembourg, which I guess has always been a plum for political contributors).
Obama has very carefully stripped the professionals out of just about every area of the government and replaced them with ideologues or personal loyalists. I guess Wisner somehow escaped his radar.
I’m glad Wisner was principled enough to speak up.
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Not all of us here have such a close perspective. Nonetheless, and with perhaps little or no perspective, most on this thread respect the man for fearlessly voicing his professional assessment of the current situation in Egypt.
Many observers around the world believe Obama is selling out an American ally in order to facilitate the succession of an Islamic government. It is refreshing to see a highly regarded professional with impeccable credentials shed light on the event.
It is clear, however, that if Amb Wisner had publicly voiced an opinion that was in conformance with both the position of the State Dept, his principal and the expressed position of his president, that his reputation with those that know and respect him could well have been smashed.
>> Amid calls for President Hosni Mubarak
I’m thinking, “Who the hell’s Amid”...
If youd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Even worse from America's perspective, the US went from having a reliable ally in Iran to our having an intractably enemy there.
I would like to see less autocracy in Egypt, and more democracy; but if the Islamists take over, that will not happen. And both Israel (a next-door neighbor to Egypt) and the US will suffer, as a result.
Even for those of us who deplore the cynical and amoral doctrine of realpolitic, this seems like a really tricky situation.
There's no better way to acknowledge that skinny's plan to destabilize the ME got smacked down by his own envoy than float a petulant Nuh Unnh!.
What a childish punk he's turned out to be.
Speaking of leftists, where did their Democracy isn't for everyone meme from the Bush Era run off to?
“and why isnt hillarys head not on a paltter?”
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Actually her head IS not on a whatever.
Yeah because determining if another country is entitled to or worthy of open democracy isn’t fascist at all...
Actually, he is retired. Obambi can’t do anything for him.
There is information that he serves in a corporation that has interest in Egypt’s bank. But that’s Wikipedia for you. Maybe there is some influence there. But if the WH expected a messenger-boy, we already have an ambassador for that.
The bottom line is, Amb Wisner knows that mob rule isn’t the way to go, and that a change of government can’t happen overnight after 30+ years of a pseudo-dictatorship; without causing extensive harm to the Egyptian citizenry as a whole.
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