While Morsi and anti-Morsi forces threaten to plunge Egypt into civil war , there is one area of agreement between them: The Obama administration is to blame. Throw in the Republicans and Obama is 0 for 3.
As reported by the LA Times, Anti-Americanism, (anti-Obamunism) which has long been an undercurrent in Egypt, is erupting again as Egyptians battle over the future of their country. Each side accuses the United States (Barack Obama) of backing the other and alleges conspiracies in which the administration is secretly fostering dissent in an attempt to weaken Egypt.
Pro-Morsi Islamists at a large rally Friday questioned how the U.S. could “so quickly” abandon Egypt’s first democratically-elected president and fail to condemn Wednesday’s military coup.
(The Islamists are obviously unaware that Obama was “very concerned” with the army’s overthrow of Morsi and has all but demanded a role for the Muslim Brotherhood in the new government.)
Besides, the Islamists shouldn’t take Obama distancing himself from Morsi personally; they obviously missed the memo about O’s history of throwing anyone and everyone under the bus as soon as it becomes politically expedient for him to do so.)
“The morals of America are not being reflected in their politics toward Egypt,” said Sharif Hegazy, 37, who manages the Cairo office of a U.S. company he preferred not to name. “Because of its past support for [deposed President Hosni] Mubarak, America has always been seen as a veiled enemy. Now they are just waiting to see which side will win. That’s not ethical. The U.S. should support the election.”
Anti-Morsi protesters insist the administration is on Morsi’s side, just as Washington steadfastly supported Mubarak. Anti-Obama sentiment has been rampant among the opposition throughout the uprising.
(The anti-Morsi forces are obviously aware that Obama supported Morsi virtually until the time ticked off the clock and it became all but certain that President Morsi was about to become ex-President Morsi.)
“America is using the Muslim Brotherhood to impose the kind of order they want to create a new Middle East, which would guarantee Israel’s security and U.S. interests,” said Ahmed Salam, 20, a law student and member of the Rebel movement, which organized the massive protest Sunday that helped bring down Morsi. “The U.S. isn’t listening to the people,” he said, speaking from atent in the middle of Tahrir Square.
Now, many of the young Egyptians whom Obama targeted in his 2009 Cairo speech view him as a hypocrite. I suppose now is not the time to “welcome them to the club.”
Troubling times lie ahead for Egypt and its people. I suspect, by the look and sound of things, the same can be said of Barack Obama.
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