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Cheney calls Mubarak a good friend, US ally
AP via Breitbart ^ | Feb 6, 2011 | MICHAEL R. BLOOD

Posted on 02/05/2011 10:07:51 PM PST by Jet Jaguar

Edited on 02/06/2011 5:35:45 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]


(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: egypt; muslimbrotherhood; statedepartfailure
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To: Jane Austen

Please see Post 75 and http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2667098/posts?page=13#13

We don’t “pay” Egypt at all. The money doesn’t leave the US.

Camp David Accord and supported by all administrations since.


81 posted on 02/07/2011 4:03:21 PM PST by Hulka
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To: Jane Austen

And the following from another website:

Mubarak has been a strong ally to the west for about 30-yrs—something quite extraordinary in that region.

You are right, the US should have handled better, like perhaps quietly approaching Mubarak and twisting his arm, so to speak, “asking” him to step down and work to ensure the Egyptian population and opposition know he was leaving and because of his compassion, working a transition plan to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

The US should also have helped with his decision to leave by finding him a safe and secure home where he could enjoy his retirement years, protected from the pesky UK lefty-academics chasing after him, clutched in their hands annoying World Court warrants.

Funny thing, we wish all these despots and dictators to leave but yet, when they do they are pursued relentlessly. Kind of like what was done to Pinochet. If anything, pursuing Pinochet gave strong justification for despots and dictators around the world (Castro, Mugabe, for example) to remain in power indefinitely because if they gave-up power, they would then no longer enjoy the immunity protections offered heads of state. . .but I digress.

Mubarak is needed to ensure we have a relatively peaceful transition in Egypt. If he were to just abandon Egypt, walk away today, then the vacuum created would embroil Egypt for years (decades?) in a struggle between the various factions vying for power and influence, with the Muslim brotherhood holding the upper hand. The MB would hold the upper hand not for reasons of popularity but for reasons of fear. The MB is not known to hold-back when it comes to murdering the opposition, and while most Egyptians embrace the “western” value of capitalism, they also like to be alive to enjoy the benefits of it. While they may be unbridled capitalists in their street-vendor rug merchant ways, they are also pragmatic when it comes to decisions that may affect their personal survival.

The US could have brokered his departure in a less public (less embarrassing) way. A aggressive behind the scenes engagement would have worked, IMHO, as Mubarak is tired and was grooming Gamal. . .he just needed a firm but gentle push to the door. (Wikileaks, call your office for an important message on why private diplomatic communications should remain, well, private).

The US could have then called in the walking cadaver, Jimmuh Carter, to chair international over-sight of the elections.

Of course, the Egyptian military would be in place to protect the population as they went to the polls.

Imagine the visual of the Egyptian military protecting the population as it peacefully voted for a new government. That would be extraordinary to behold. A military in the middle-east acting as the honest-broker, protecting the people as they exercise their right to vote, ensuring a peaceful transition in an Islamic country. . . wow.

Not that anyone would give credit to the US for such an event, or give credit today to the US for the restraint of the Egyptian military. Truthfully, I am tired of the uninformed prattle of the media and other pundits when it comes to aid granted by the US to the Egyptians. The uninformed gnash their collective teeth, cry about the US supporting an oppressive regime while at the same time these same pundits willfully ignore the success those billions produced when it comes to the most stable influence in Egypt today—the military. Not only did FMF contribute greatly to the peace process in the middle-east, it gave us an Egyptian military with a strong westernized approach to domestic pol-mil relations.

At one time I was involved for many years in helping administer billions of FMF for the Egyptians, as well as (post USG service) an independent consultant and speechwriter for senior Egyptian military personnel. I know them, as nothing puts you in their mind better than trying to put words in their mouth. So it is with (I think) informed conviction that I say the Egyptian military is truly the stabilizing factor in Egypt because of US involvement these past 30-yrs. Of equal importance was Mubarak’s support for the US. We may have bought his support but there is no denying Mubarak’s support of the US (and FMF funds) presented an opportunity to shape and grow the most stabilizing influence today in Cairo—the Egyptian military.

Absent US involvement and Mubarak’s support, the events in Egypt would be far more bloody and less certain. Imagine the response if for the last 30-yrs the Soviets/Russians held sway over the military’s education and training.


82 posted on 02/07/2011 4:06:28 PM PST by Hulka
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To: Wolfstar; VeniVidiVici
GWB is a far better person than I am. If I were in his shoes, I'd spit on the lot of you types who think only you have all the right answers to every issue 100% of the time.

Ha ha! GWB's been spitting on Americans for over eight years - what makes you think he stopped?

83 posted on 02/07/2011 5:05:19 PM PST by raybbr (Someone who invades another country is NOT an immigrant - illegal or otherwise.)
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To: Army Air Corps

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/04/hosni-mubarak-family-fortune

Cheney’s ‘friend’? American foreign policy, supporting these criminals, has been screwed up by both parties for too long, generating much deserved ill will amongst freedom loving people in the middle east and elsewhere along with squandered taxpayers dollars.


84 posted on 02/07/2011 6:53:57 PM PST by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm)
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To: Lazlo in PA
Just what has Mubarak done to Egypt that is so bad? I know they have 1/2 the people making extremely low wages. Is is Mubarack's fault or is it just the way it is? What natural resources does Egypt have? What opportunities for income? If they count on mainly tourist dollars that could be way down because of the times. We all knew what a monster Saddam Hussein was. He was a murdering tyrant. I haven't heard anything like this about Mubarack.

Could it be that much of this has been stirred up in a Saul Alinsky kind of way on purpose to topple the government and let the lowest elements take over, the elements that are anti America and anti Israel? Egypt has over 85 million people so it wouldn't be too hard to get a million of them to protest and riot.

85 posted on 02/08/2011 1:43:56 AM PST by Bellflower (Isa 32:5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said [to be] bountiful.)
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To: jonrick46
Our president should be promoting the best way out of Egypt’s crisis.

I've been having a hard time figuring our "President" out. He seems to be aligned with the radical Muslims, the communist, tyrants of all sorts, belonged to a black liberation theology Church, promotes the murder of babies "abortion" and who knows what will become of the elderly and handy cap if his health care program goes through. He is obviously out to destroy America financially. The list goes on and on.

The only common thread that runs through all of it is if it's evil he's into it. The only thing that unites all, even seemingly opposing evil organizations and promotions, is Satan. It just might be that he is knowingly a Satan worshiper. Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy and will use any and all methods possible and especially comes as an angel of light. It is the only thing that unites all of evil on earth which seems to be united in the falsely shining light called "Obama".

86 posted on 02/08/2011 2:04:31 AM PST by Bellflower (Isa 32:5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said [to be] bountiful.)
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To: Bellflower
Just what has Mubarak done to Egypt that is so bad?

The police for once, rivals the commie units of yore (the GRU for example). Mubarak developed a torture police primarily to suppress the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1980s partly because that appeased us and garnered funds and also because one of the M.B assasinated the previous President. At some level this seems fine since the M.B. are hardly pleasant. The problem is that he gradually rotated the police around so everyone was torture police and the target no longer remained the M.B. The police in Egypt is super violent, corrupt and arbitrary and there is no escape from them, whether you are middle-class or poor or M.B. I have a friend who works in an American firm in Cairo and he has loads of stories that he hears from the locals(though he is personally protected being a US citizen and all). This isn't just an economic issue....The problem is that Egypt has Two bad guys, Mubarak and the M.B and one of them is/has been supported by us.
87 posted on 02/08/2011 9:59:41 AM PST by kroll
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To: tallyhoe

He wouldn’t have done much different then you could hate him too.


88 posted on 02/08/2011 1:45:24 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: Jane Austen

You need a longer view of things and to realize that when there are no good choices then you must adopt a less bad one.
Prevention of war in the Middle East is critical to our nation just from a purely economic point of view. If one should break out it will not be easily contained either.

Should oil deliveries be impacted and they will any idea of an economic recovery here can be forgotten and you can start thinking Depression.

It is not money which prevents dealing with the II problem but the Democrat Party.

In the real world the foreign aid you object to is an unavoidable fact of life. Don’t let it bother you.


89 posted on 02/08/2011 1:53:44 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: FourPeas

Not entirely correct as regards the initial stance against the two systems. Initially the Western World was at war with Islam and the war only ended at the gates of Vienna and on Polish battlefields about 500 yrs ago. Popes called for Holy War against Islam for three or four hundred years.

The Mediterrean Sea was involved in almost constant war with Moslem pirates supported by the Barbary states. The first state to declare war on the US was an Islamic one. That war ended only after we sent in the Marines and Navy during the Jefferson administration.

Colonial occupation and control of Islamic states only ended during the 20th century and their politics and geographical features are still determined by that colonial occupation. Hell, Saudi Arabia is not even a hundred years old.


90 posted on 02/08/2011 2:01:41 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: Wolfstar

Bingo


91 posted on 02/08/2011 2:02:41 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: jonrick46

Even worse. Islam sprang from a complete lie, was founded by a Liar and everyone pretending it had truth is accepting a lie. Hell when Mad Mo wanted a particularly hot babe who was another man’s wife he just had a “vision” from God telling him to take her. I mean if it was so deadly this “religion” would be as big a joke as one can conceive of.


92 posted on 02/08/2011 2:11:51 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: Hulka

Please you will only confuse him with the facts.


93 posted on 02/08/2011 2:13:35 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: traviskicks

“freedom loving people in the middle east...” LoL. Boy that is a good one. Any freedom loving people would be in the crosshairs of the Moslem Brotherhood and other Islamic fanatics.


94 posted on 02/08/2011 2:25:20 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: arrogantsob

I did not hate Bush he was ok.. He just wasn’t conservative enough for me. Ya know Bush had a republican house and Senate until 2007 he could have done what was right for the country. Secured the borders stopped Fanny and Freddie reigned in wasteful spending reformed the tax code. I know he had two wars to contend with but he still could have done all that...


95 posted on 02/08/2011 2:40:48 PM PST by tallyhoe
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To: pollywog

The idea of realistic adults in those offices is understandable,but I tend to think of them as the hired help,there to do specific jobs,not leaders. I know it’s a little different way to consider it. I guess I feel like if we think of them as leaders,we are giving them too much power over us. We hire them and pay them handsomely. We are the leaders.


96 posted on 02/08/2011 10:20:12 PM PST by FreeDeerHawk
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To: kroll
“The police in Egypt is super violent, corrupt and arbitrary and there is no escape from them”

And so are every other police in any islamic or third world country in the entire world. (And, seriously, US police forces as well-—if you take the words of the anti-police posters here on FR.)

The MB is far worse option than Mubarak, both for the US and for the people of Egypt.

97 posted on 02/09/2011 6:06:58 AM PST by Hulka
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To: arrogantsob

LOL. . .true, so very true.


98 posted on 02/09/2011 6:10:18 AM PST by Hulka
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To: tallyhoe

Unfortunately for your wish Bush was more conservative than most of the GOP and was as conservative as could be elected. He was willing to give a lot of ground for his war aims and was undermined from the very beginning of his administration. Most of the compromises were necessary however to accomplish his highest goal.

You are deluding yourself if you think things could have been different and his achievements in foreign policy and national security were remarkable considering the Treason Medias alliance with the Democrats. History will judge him higher than the media.


99 posted on 02/10/2011 10:07:40 PM PST by arrogantsob
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To: arrogantsob

I don’t buy that cause Bush was not as conservative as Ronald Reagan!!!!!


100 posted on 02/10/2011 11:41:22 PM PST by tallyhoe
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