We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
The Tragedy and Chaos in Egypt Continues
We conservatives intrinsically distrust chaos and unexpected, radical changes in policies (in terms of domestic issues, that might include things like redefining marriage, adding an inadequately funded, new entitlement, or instituting an unprecedented mandate on insurance products).
It is difficult making sense of 6 days of chaos in Egypt. In hindsight, it should not have been that much of a surprise: Tunisia's recent revolution was sparked by repressive treatment of a vendor whom subsequently lit himself on fire , eventually resulting in the Ben Ali regime going into exile two weeks ago. But the return of Islamist leaders from exile to the predominantly secular country has a distinct feel to what we observed in Iran more than 30 years ago. In the meanwhile, the contagion has spread to Sudan, while the predominantly Christian Southern Sudan is set to assert its independence. On the other hand, an investigation of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri's assassination, thought to be linked with long-time Syrian domination of Lebanon in conjunction with Hezbollah allies, has triggered a backlash, resulting in a return of Syrian low-key dominance in Lebanon. And Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, unsurprisingly, is paying lip service to reforms.
The Obama Administration response has been, in my opinion, erratic. VP Joe Biden has said that Mubarak is no dictator and shouldn't step down. Yet there has been some evidence that the US government has secretly backed opposition groups bent on toppling the Mubarak government in favor of a more democratic Egypt. The opposition has fallen in line behind 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner and former IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, whom has reprimanded the US for being ambivalent on where it stood regarding the Mubarak government.
What would Ambassador Guillemette say or do? Let me first quote what I said in Friday's post:
I believe it is in the best interests of Egypt's future that it provides greater economic and political freedom, guarantees equal opportunity to political, social or business leadership, maintains the secular nature of its government, and guarantees the civil rights of its minorities.Additional comments:
- I would look for a face-saving way for President Mubarak to announce his intent not to run for reelection, not now, but at some unspecified time of his choosing, prior to the next scheduled Presidential election.
- I would say that Egypt has been a reliable, invaluable ally for international stability in the region and on the War on Terrorism. However, the Egyptian record on political reforms over the past 30 years has been unsatisfactory. The United State does not support domestic policies inconsistent with our own beliefs in individual rights and political pluralism.
- We call for government reforms which provide more balance of power between the legislature and the office of the Presidency, an independent judiciary, and a more open, independently verifiable electoral process including multiple political parties/candidates.
- We would recommend the formation of a unity government cabinet, including representation of opposition leaders.
- The magnitude of aid to Egypt depends on the implementation and good faith sustenance of political reforms.
It's Time For President Obama To Show Some REAL Leadership
First of all, I'm glad to hear Speaker Boehner reassure citizens that the House Republicans will not, contrary to Obama Administration Chicken Little assertions, play chicken with raising the the debt ceiling (perhaps two months away). A $100B savings would be a step in the right direction, but we need to do more, and I want to repeat: we need to do more in the nature of government business streamlining and reduction in federal governmente employee compensation.
What I would like to see is more commitment, both from Republican leadership and Democratic leadership (i.e., Majority Leader Reid and President Obama), on the bipartisan deficit reduction plan. In particular, half-measures, like Obama's offer to freeze a small fraction of spending, is not enough. Medicare and social security have to be on the table. Entitlements are the largest growing portions of the federal budget with the largest (baby boomer) generation phasing into retirement, drawing on social security and Medicare. The Republicans are understandably reluctant to play, one more time, into partisan Democratic hands playing whack-a-mole with any substantive proposal. DEMOCRATIC DEMAGOGUERY IS NOT AN OPTION. If you don't solve the problem now, to stop exploding expenditures from the get-go, these expenses are going to make California, Illinois and New York state budget problems look trivial. Everything has to be on the table: on the beneficiary side, premiums and deductibles will need to rise, adjustments will have to moderate, eligibility will need to tighten, and payroll taxes may need to be increased. As long as Democrats continue to play the class warfare game instead of shared burden (how can they possibly justify people drawing 2 or 3 times more than what they put into the system and say it's fair to continue to get a free ride?), we are hastening the day of reckoning.
Let me be clear: interest payments increase with each additional dollar in the deficit: but we are also paying very low interest. If and when interest rates climb, we could be talking 2 or 3 times the interest, even if we stop adding to the debt. That's money that can't be used to cut a social security check or a Medicare payment. "Don't worry: be happy" may be a pleasant song, but it's lousy public policy, and Obama's policy of picking winners and losers won't do.
Obama's real legacy may well be not only whom lost Lebanon, Egypt, or Tunisia, but whom lost the Democratic twin pillars of entitlements.
Political Humor
A few originals:
- President Obama has a new slogan: "Win the Future". Vice President Biden helped him out with that suggestion; Biden remembered that Newt Gingrich published a 2005 book called "Winning the Future" and was sure that the President could use it in his own State of the Union speech. Or, taking into account Obama's spendthrift ways and the Fed's printing press, we conservatives know exactly what what Obama's slogan really means: "Whip Inflation Now: The Future"
 |
| Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Museum |
- I guess President Obama can't count on Rush Limbaugh showing up at his birthday parties anymore. Rush wants more proof it's Obama's birthday....
Musical Interlude: One-Hit Wonders/Instrumentals
Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, "What I Am"
