Guess who looks better today?
Obama plays Egypt just right, backing protesters over dictator Mubarak BY Thomas M. Defrank Egyptians celebrated the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square. Festivities lasted well into the night. Related NewsCairo turns violent in wee hoursBazzi: Obama must choose a side in Egyptian crisisEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak will not seek new termEditorial: Egypt on the brinkEditorial: Start the evolutionEgypt military backs Mubarak, protesters vow biggest demonstrations to come WASHINGTON - Republicans struggled with a pesky intramural squabble Friday over budget cuts as President Obama celebrated the remarkable rise of democracy in Egypt. Guess who looks better today? After a shaky beginning, Obama and his foreign policy handlers seem to have gotten this crisis right. Hosni Mubarak and his repressive baggage are gone, but America's relationship with a critical Mideast ally and partner in the war on global terror remains intact. Moreover, Obama has positioned himself as a soulmate for the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Egyptians who stormed the Arab country's streets in peaceful protest instead of another American leader playing ball with an aging autocrat. "They got off to a slow and cautious start," a prominent foreign policy expert told the Daily News, "but they ended up on the right side of history." While Republicans squabbled over budget cuts, President Obama celebrated the ouster of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak (Kaster/AP). What Henry Kissinger liked to call the forbidden fruit of foreign policy is a double-edged sword for Presidents - unpredictable, delicate and always tricky to navigate. Ask Jimmy Carter. When he couldn't get the Iranian mullahs to free American diplomats in 1979, he looked weak. That became a metaphor dooming his reelection against Ronald Reagan a year later. In this case, Obama has burnished his image, in large measure because the outcome ended well. Mubarak is history and a fragile democracy is in sight. Violence was relatively light, and the military-run transitional government's commitment to historic and unrigged elections in September is probably inviolable. In the end, Obama tilted toward what he calls "core values" instead of the geopolitical stability Mubarak's dictatorial rule guaranteed. Obama aides point out that the hopeful outcome wasn't mere luck. Vice President Biden dug deep into his Rolodex to nudge longtime friends and counterparts. U.S. diplomats worked other Arab leaders to persuade Mubarak he was done. Senior military commanders tapped longstanding ties with Egyptian generals to counsel caution with demonstrators. Politically, Obama was showcased as dealing with an authentic world crisis instead of worrying about his intense but below-the-radar campaign for a second term. Meanwhile, a major conservative gathering of Obama-bashers in Washington was crowded off the airwaves by the iconic images from Cairo's Tahrir Square. "How can you complain about him over this?" a top Republican warrior moaned. "It's no contest." Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/02/12/2011-02-12_obama_plays_egypt_just_right_backing_protesters_over_dictator_mubark.html#ixzz1DlKsZr78 -- Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. Have a great day, Tommy -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
