Revolt of the Egyptians

Powerlineblog  "In his Farewell Address, George Washington reflected on the requisites of free government:"

It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?
Promote then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.

"In fact, the vast majority of Egyptians has practiced civil disobedience against the Mubarak regime for years. The Mubarak government announced a "complete" ban on genital mutilation in 2007, the second time it has done so - without success, for the Egyptian population ignored the enlightened pronouncements of its government. Do Western liberals cheer at this quiet revolt against Mubarak's authority?"

Egypt Eruption by Gen. Barry McCaffrey

Michael Yon  "I asked General (ret.) Barry McCaffrey for his thoughts on the evolving situation in Egypt:"

Egypt is a few steps short of a disaster. The corrupt, incompetent regime will not survive.
Most likely outcome--- the Generals take charge, announce a reform government, start the process of responding to the injustice and despair of the common citizen. Then the situation staggers along for some period.
Worst outcome the Generals stand with the same gang that has looted the nation--- probably minus Mubarak. Then there is a possible civil war with the soldiers in many cases siding with the people not their officers. The only organized opposition is the Muslim Brotherhood which could then possibly gain power.
Our central US foreign policy concern is the stability of the Peace Treaty with Israel. At the end of the day if required--- we would go to war to prevent the annihilation of the Israelis. This would be a terrible outcome for the entire region.
And--- oh by the way---there is the matter of the Suez Canal and the flow of oil to a Europe with an increasingly ant-Israeli political stance.
We have few good options. The President and Secretary Clinton are carefully walking the line. Oddly enough--- only the last Administration with President Bush and Secretary Condi Rice has ever taken a strong reform position with Mubarak.
This one is important. Egypt is central to peace in the region. Their people have been ill-used by the Mubarak Regime. Watch the enlisted soldiers of the Egyptian Army. If they go with the people--- there will be incredible bloodshed.
                                                                 Barry McCaffrey

Lessons on Egypt From Carter and the Shah "Past experience suggests that if Mr. Mubarak's regime is toppled, not only will American interests suffer, but the cause of freedom in Egypt could be set back dramatically. And the U.S. will have contributed to a Middle East that is less stable and more dangerous than it is today."  Hat tip to TomGrossMedia

When Will The World Love Us?

Germany, 2008

Big Journalism "Democrats and the Obama administration often like to say the media set unrealistic expectations on the young World Emperor, certainly the media continues its slobbering love for Dear Leader, but Obama also made this promise of global unity. He did it during his first speech in Cairo as President and during the campaign in Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate. Obama declared himself a “citizen of the world” (whatever that means) and promised he would “remake the world.” Politico called it a “manifesto for the planet” and that he would “unite Christians, Muslims and Jews in a safer, more united world.”"

Egypt: Obama and Ayers's Post-American Middle-East  "The involvement of the uber-left, dangerous agitators and provocateurs like CODE PINK, Bill Ayers, even the AFL-CIO in the destruction of an America allied, no accident. There are no accidents, not with these terrorists.

"Obama's goodfriend and sponsor, Bill Ayers has been active in Gaza and Egypt agitating against the Jewish people promoting the destruction of Israel."   Obama's friends join protesters attempting to enter Gaza

What Jerry Brown Does Not Propose to Cut, Realign, or Reform

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Commentary Magazine  "As alarming as the pension problem is, a more fundamental dysfunction is California’s vigorous, energetic, enthusiastically experimental regulatory environment. Regulation, as much as the tax code, drives businesses and jobs out of the state. Besides creating the artificial drought in the San Joaquin Valley, regulation has shut down entirely such potential sources of revenue as offshore drilling and modernized refineries, while ensuring that the state’s power and water infrastructures will not be adequately updated, and imposing some of the nation’s highest compliance costs on businesses and customers."

The Middle East and the Multicultural Nightmare

Victor Davis Hanson  " “I’m not Bush”
"Obama was Bush’s antithesis and defined himself as resetting everything that Bush had envisioned, clueless that that meant in Pavlovian fashion opposing all the good that Bush had done as well. He canceled support for Egyptian dissidents. He all but gave a green light for the theocrats to crush the Iranian dissidents. He was harder on Israel than on Syria. He was far more interested in either apologizing for the United States, trashing the Iraq war, or offering fairy stories about the Islamic roots of Western civilization than simply expressing support for consensual government in the Middle East. So again, why?

"Obama is not a classical liberal, but rather an illiberal multicultural relativist. In his way of thinking, all cultures are equal, and so are not to be judged by transcendent, timeless abstract values like freedom and liberty."

http://townhall.com/cartoons/michaelramirez/

The Darkening Skies over Obamacare

National Review "The architects of Obamacare assumed they could impose the law’s massive administrative burdens on the states without much pushback. The feds have all the money, and thus all the power, or so the thinking went. But now Judge Vinson has sided with 26 states that think the Constitution’s federalist framework means something. The truth is, Obamacare may be too cumbersome to be workable even with state cooperation, but it most certainly won’t work without the states doing most of the dirty work. With Judge Vinson’s ruling, many states are now openly wondering why in the world they should move forward with costly and risky plans to implement a program they find fundamentally flawed and objectionable."

http://townhall.com/cartoons/stevekelley

Toward a Soft Landing in Egypt; The key is the military.

Charles Krauthammer  "We are told by sage Western analysts not to worry about the Brotherhood because it probably commands only about 30 percent of the vote. This is reassurance? In a country where the secular democratic opposition is weak and fractured after decades of persecution, any Islamist party commanding a third of the vote rules the country.
"Elections will be held. The primary U.S. objective is to guide a transition period that gives secular democrats a chance."
Background info: Hamas Charter
Hamas Covenant   "This term refers to the founding document of the Hamas Movement. It reflects an Islamic nationalist perception, which negates the right of the state of Israel to exist."....
Article 2: "National-Territorial principle – The covenant expresses a nationalist approach with a strong territorial link to the land of Palestine. Article 11 explicitly maintains that the land of Palestine is "an Islamic Waqf (Holy land) consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered […] or given up. Neither a single Arab country, nor all Arab countries […] be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that"."

Common Cause Can’t Distance Itself From Hateful Rhetoric

Big Journalism  "Common Cause would have us believe they aren’t responsible for hateful rhetoric spewed at the Right from protesters at a recent Koch brothers protest they organized. A statement was issued only after it came to light that a protester had called for the lynching of Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas. But a review of the official event video proves that Common Cause actually worked to inspire such hate through the selection of official speakers. They cannot simply disown it, now."

The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama  Billionaire George Soros, however is just fine with the left. As is Al Gore. And "Two-Americas" John Edwards.

Obama’s Regulatory Deja Vu: Dude, It’s Been Done, and It Flopped

Big Government "Don’t expect regulatory relief any time soon. The regulatory state is shaped by special-interest-group politics. Regulations rarely are adopted because consumers demand them or because they enhance society’s welfare. Rather, as the now-deceased Nobel laureate George Stigler once famously observed, private firms often lobby for regulations that they believe will give them an advantage over their competitors.

"Federal regulations are as responsible as anything for America’s lagging competitiveness. The solution is not another dose of regulatory review, but a curb of Washington’s regulatory powers."

Senators question intelligence agencies' anticipation of Egypt uprising

Washington Post  "Asked about the senators' comments, National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said: "Did anyone in the world know in advance that a fruit vendor in Tunisia was going to light himself on fire and start a revolution? No. But for decades, the intelligence community and diplomats have been reporting on unrest in the region that was a result of economic, demographic and political conditions." "

A letter from Egypt everyone should read

Bookworm Room "Mobs are hired, given each a barbecue chicken meal, two bottles of water and $100.00 a day. (money either from the gulf states or Iran)
"Obama statements are seen as the US is conspiring to topple the Egyptian government. The world Satan, is working for the state of Israel.
"American statements are very bad, confusing, and hearting the people of Egypt, not helping them. the united states image have been marred badly[,] a spirit of deception is trying to engulf the country and the region
"All the world media is reporting from the center of the city, they are not reporting that throughout the city cars are loaded with families fanning the streets crying in unity out ‘long live Egypt’"

Five Steps to Meeting the Crisis in Egypt and the Middle East

Heritage  "By exercising energetic leadership now and continuing to engage in the right way in the months ahead, the President can both protect U.S. interests and promote opportunities for liberty, security, and economic opportunity in the region. These actions would be far more likely to make a positive contribution than trying to appear relevant to the struggle for power in the streets of Cairo.
"A responsible agenda for the Administration would include the following actions"...

http://townhall.com/cartoons/michaelramirez