Crisis in Egypt

[Mitch Rapp]

If Obama wants to continue to fund the Egyptian Army, then he should have bills introduced in Congress to change the law. I am tired of watching Obama selectively ignore laws that he has sworn to enforce - laws that he is constitutionally bound to uphold, whenever he pleases. Obama has no legal choice but to stop funding or get Congress to approve funding.

[CBDV]

By definition funding should be cut off.

 

I am perfectly fine if we do not cut off funding. Egypt and its army are as secular as it gets in the Muslim World outside the UAE.

[leatherneck]

And then he's withholding money from secular authorities because they deposed his friends in the Muslim Brotherhood. These posts for conservative news blogs practically write themselves.

 

But if current US law requires aid to be cut off if a democratically elected leader is deposed by a military coup, does it matter what the conservative blogs write? Frankly a big part of me is happy to see Morsi deposed but US law is US law and our President cannot unilaterally ignore it even if he believes it is in our national interest to do so. Weren't there weeks of Contra-gate hearings to determine if President Reagan ignored US law and supported the contras? How is this situation different? I'm not an Obama hater. Not close. I try to be very fair in my critique of his actions. But as an attorney, like you, that thinks a most important principal of society is respect for and adherence to the law, I just cannot understand how President Obama can continue to permit aid to Egypt after the military coup. Wouldn't you agree with that point? Or am I missing something and what happened in Egypt wasn't a military coup? Or are we not continuing to provide aid? Help me out if you can.

[marvel]

Continues to send money to military in Egypt while still talking about how sequester -- caused only by republicans -- is fiscally irresponsible.

 

Their military gets funding through the US taxpayer but our own military men and women can no longer get the money to go to school part-time while serving. "The funding just isn't there."

 

Obama is proving himself to be a terrible human being.

[cammando]

Why does Obama keep sending billions to these animals?? Egypt 'Day of Rage' turns violent, protesters killed

[marvel]

Over 600 killed. Thousands wounded. People getting ran over by tanks (that we sent them) from Egypt's military.

 

How absurd is it that we have to pass an amendment just for our President to actually follow the law? Should have passed Rand Paul's amendment.

[marvel]

And John McCain and Lindsay Graham now agree with Rand Paul: We should cut off aid to Egypt.

 

LINK

 

“It is neither in our long-term national interest nor consistent with our values and laws to continue providing assistance at this time to Egypt’s interim government and military. We urge the Obama Administration to suspend U.S. assistance to Egypt and make clear to the current leadership of the country what steps we believe are necessary to halt Egypt’s descent into civil conflict and ultimately to restore our assistance relationship, which has historically served U.S. national security interests.”

 

Pretty sure it wasn't consistent with our values and laws when they insisted on Egyptian foreign aid after a military coup.

[Hatz]

I'm confused. Some complain because free elections are held and the Muslim Brotherhood are in power. Then others complain that the military ousts the MB and President to return Egypt back to something similar to what it was before the free elections.

 

It's a mess and the US probably needs to just back away and work with whoever wins.

[jericho]

Seems the MB is aligning with Al Quaida, finally show true colors. Yeah why has Obama not denounced the MB for burning Coptic Churches and the christians in Egypt, at least teh military is trying to protect and get along with them. I feel nothing for the MB, go military, take them all out.

[Getslow]

I've been clicking around the news websites a little bit during lunch and got bogged down reading about the Egypt situation. I found this article on one of the reasons foreign aid to Egypt will keep flowing:

 

Freezing US aid to Egypt not easy or cost-free

 

Like the fellow said: always follow the money. $1.3 billion each year in military aid, all of which is in-kind and so comes immediately back to US weapons manufacturers. We don't mess around with corporate welfare for something so trivial as the law.

 

And perhaps even more importantly...

 

Israel asked us not to.

 

Since the aid was basically granted as a bribe to stop provoking Israel in the first place, the current instability makes Israel very nervous that we'd suddenly cut off the protection money. And it's totally understandable on their part.

[Bluegrasscard]

Egypt was a very 'progressive' nation before the US government supported the overthrow of Mubarak. The leaders have ruled only with the backing of the military for a long time. It seems they clearly did not want Egypt to regress into an MB controlled Sharia-law driven country. So they pulled the plug. Not very democratic but that how that country works. US influence here is almost worthless at this point. It is clear the Egyptian military (the strongest in the region outside of Israel) is not going to cede the nation to clerics and the MB - regardless of US government actions.