Your morning jolt: Who did, and didn’t, apologize for what in Egypt, Libya
Egyptian protesters chant anti-U.S. slogans in front of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday. Egyptian protesters, largely ultra conservative Islamists, have climbed the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, went into the courtyard and brought down the flag, replacing it with a black flag with Islamic inscription, in protest of a film deemed offensive of Islam. AP/Nasser Nasser
Here’s the apparent time line on the “apology” furor that’s now raging between the Mitt Romney and Barack Obama camps, in response to riots over an anti-Islamic film that – in Libya – resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three staffers:
– Following an attack in which Egyptian protestors pulled down the American flag, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a statement saying, in part, that it condemned “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.”
According to the Associated Press, the statement was an apparent reference to the video, and was posted hours before the four American deaths in Libya were reported.
– At 10:10 p.m., Politico.com posted a disavowal from an unnamed Obama administration official: “The statement by Embassy Cairo was not cleared by Washington and does not reflect the views of the United States government.”
– In a statement that was embargoed until midnight, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney declared his outrage at the attacks and at President Barack Obama’s response. “It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks,” he said.
– Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued her own statement at about the same time – again, the deaths in Libya had not been confirmed:
”Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.”
From the Associated Press:
Libya’s interim president has apologized to the United States for the attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi that killed the American ambassador and three of his staff.
Mohammed el-Megarif described the attack as “cowardly”…
Latest reports say the U.S. Marines are on their way.
***
It is no doubt difficult for people who have lived under a dictatorship for decades to conceive that criticism of an entire religion is something that can be done without government permission. From the Associated Press:
Speaking by phone Tuesday from an undisclosed location, writer and director Sam Bacile remained defiant, saying Islam is a cancer and that the 56-year-old intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion….
“This is a political movie,” said Bacile. “The U.S. lost a lot of money and a lot of people in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we’re fighting with ideas.”
Bacile, a California real estate developer who identifies himself as an Israeli Jew, said he believes the movie will help his native land by exposing Islam’s flaws to the world.
“Islam is a cancer, period,” he said repeatedly, his solemn voice thickly accented.
The two-hour movie, “Innocence of Muslims,” cost $5 million to make and was financed with the help of more than 100 Jewish donors, said Bacile, who wrote and directed it.
The film claims Muhammad was a fraud. An English-language 13-minute trailer on YouTube shows an amateur cast performing a wooden dialogue of insults disguised as revelations about Muhammad, whose obedient followers are presented as a cadre of goons.
It depicts Muhammad as a feckless philanderer who approved of child sexual abuse, among other overtly insulting claims that have caused outrage.
***
Last week, only days after he gave a video greeting to the Democratic National Convention, former President Jimmy Carter became the longest-living ex-president in U.S. history, surpassing Herbert Hoover’s 11,553 days in retirement.
But Carter is in no way retiring. From the Huffington Post:
ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter issued a blistering indictment of the U.S. electoral process Tuesday, saying it is shot through with “financial corruption” that threatens American democracy.
Speaking at the international human rights center that bears his name, Carter said “we have one of the worst election processes in the world right in the United States of America, and it’s almost entirely because of the excessive influx of money.”
….Carter praised Mexico and several countries where Carter Center staff have monitored publicly financed elections, and he said the United States should return to publicly financed elections for president. The system technically is still in place, but it is voluntary and both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have chosen to bypass the taxpayer money because they can amass far more on their own.
***
More than a few people are poring over “Planned Bullyhood” to see what former secretary of state Karen Handel has to say about them. Click here to read today’s piece by my AJC colleague Jill Vejnoska on Handel’s book – which some harsh comments by her 2010 rivals for the GOP nomination for governor. Here’s the dedication Handel included:
”This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever been bullied for doing the right thing. In standing up for what you believe, you might not endear yourself to some, but who cares, they don’t define you; you do. Have faith – God has a plan, even if it’s a mystery to you.”
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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124 comments Add your comment
Baron DeKalb
September 12th, 2012
1:54 pm
Retired Soldier: My answer is the same regarding nuclear weapons on the global stage as it is for guns in the domestic arena. Once they have been introduced, it is nearly impossible to limit the destructive technology to those deemed “responsible.” The futility of trying to tell someone else what not to do while doing it yourself is right out of Parenting 101, it’s not a workable scenario. We should be pushing for global disarmament and we should not be afraid to take the first steps.
Retired Soldier
September 12th, 2012
2:00 pm
Baron-
Congrats with your non-answer. Because the impossible won’t happen (global disarmament) youare fine with the world’s sponsor of terrorism. That my friend is scary.
Baron DeKalb
September 12th, 2012
2:03 pm
You are very selective in your understanding of global terrorism and its sponsorship. We have certainly done plenty to foster violence and disorder in the world when it suits our purposes. You think that the US is naturally superior to other countries and that the rules that apply to them don’t apply to us… and that, my friend, is scary.
BREAKING: Romney renews criticism of Obama’s Libya response – CNN (blog) | Libtech
September 12th, 2012
2:10 pm
[...] York Daily NewsAnti-Muslim film director in hiding, following Libya, Egypt violenceWashington PostAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -The Atlantic -San Francisco Chronicleall 2,200 news [...]
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
2:13 pm
Well said Baron (on all posts).
Retired Soldier
September 12th, 2012
2:15 pm
Baron-
You are correct I do think America is superior to every other country. I wouldn’t have much respect for any person that didn’t believe the same wat about their country.
You are part of the “blame America first” crowd. Wonder how your tune would change if one of the dead Americans were you brother or son. Libya is vety lucky they aren’t reporting massive airstrikes hitting their country. You can bet if the situation were reversed and Libya had the capability we would be driving for cover.
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
2:19 pm
Interesting that Carter says that money has corrupted the electoral process, but never bothers to mention restrictive ballot access laws in every state of the nation. Here in GA it is so difficult for a 3rd party candidate to get on the ballot for congress that we have not had one since 1935 ! and that was a Socialist party candidate (no need for them to run anymore since both parties have become virtually socialist at this point).
Money is also not the problem – at least not the money coming in. The problem is that the government can steal as much as they want, print as much as they want, and spend as much as they want so there is so much loot for the lobbyists to go after. Eliminate government power and the biggest source of problems goes away. Hey Carter, stop looking out for the two party system and the power structure and start caring about representative democracy. You are barking up the wrong tree.
Baron DeKalb
September 12th, 2012
2:23 pm
I don’t blame America first, I just think it’s silly to expect other countries to follow a set of rules that we are ourselves unwilling to follow–and that goes for military interventionism in general and destruction of the environment as well as nuclear weapons. If, as you assert, everyone in every other country should feel the same way as you do about the USA, why would they not be totally justified in acquiring nuclear weapons by whatever means? And, especially if we have intimated that we might attack them, why would they not be justified in launching a preventative strike?
Retired Soldier
September 12th, 2012
2:34 pm
Baron-
You are far afield of the uncalled for attack in Libya. What I was speaking of was I would expect every person to be patriotic about their country. I suggest you need a bit of realism in your outlook. What do you suggest the U.S. should do in response to the four murders?
Baron DeKalb
September 12th, 2012
2:42 pm
I suggest that we proceed in a sober and cautious manner, and that we be mindful of the unintended consequences that have resulted from prior actions. These killings did not happen in a vacuum–they happened in the very complicated context of our relationship with countries in the middle east. There is no simple solution or response that will adequately address the problem. We should be thinking long term and we should avoid perpetuating the cycle of violence.
The Ghost of Lester Maddox
September 12th, 2012
2:42 pm
Poor Jimmy. All he wants to do is to matter, and he don’t.
Retired Soldier
September 12th, 2012
2:45 pm
Baron-
You should apply to work for HC in the State Dept. You would fit in nicely. Now off to make a living.
Auntie Christ
September 12th, 2012
2:51 pm
Congratulations retired soldier on loving your country so much. What I can’t understand is why you fault the Iranians for loving their country just as much as you love yours. The people of Iran daily are hearing an American Presidential candidate as well as legislators, commentators and other influential Americans advocate invading their country. These threats come not from some third rate power, who may or may not have the capability to annihilate them, these are threats from the greatest military power ever seen on the planet. This same behemoth overthrew their neighbor next door yet you say they should not use every means necessary to defend themselves from this threat. Tear yourself away from your “world of war craft” wet dream and say hello to reality, or better yet start working for peaceful solutions to conflict instead of looking for a better gun to solve the world’s problems.
InAtl
September 12th, 2012
3:01 pm
OMG! I can’t believe Mr. Malcontent said this : “If Iran is dumb enough to employ a nuclear weapon, they will be retaliated against and this particular problem will be solved.”
You are one scary person. Have you ever heard of MAD? It stands for mutually assured destruction.
InAtl
September 12th, 2012
3:03 pm
and here’s another scary quote from a poster who calls themselves Committed to Freedom:
“American history doesn’t begin on 9-11 and the amount of misery the US has caused in the middle east and around the world with our foreign policy, foreign aid, and CIA meddling in other country’s affairs is definitely more than most americans are willing to come to terms with.”
Wow, where do you people come from?
Auntie Christ
September 12th, 2012
3:28 pm
InAtl
September 12th, 2012
3:03 pm
Read some history. Start with our own hemisphere: Trujillo in the Dominican, the Duvaliers in Haiti, Batista in Cuba, Somoza in Nicaraga, the assassination of a democratically elected President Allende in Chile, the Argentine junta, the murderous Guatamalian regime supported by raygun and the CIA. Then look at the Shah and his murderous secret police we installed and trained, read up on the school of the Americas at Ft Benning, where the aforementioned tyrants sent their henchmen to learn torture techniques and political suppression. The State department used to refer to these thugs as ‘yea, they’re SOB’s, but they’re our SOB’s” meaning all the had to do was voice a sentiment that they were anti-communist, and we gave them all the support they needed to maintain a stranglehold on their citizens.
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
3:33 pm
I come from the library where I have bothered to read the history of our actions, our CIA’s actions, etc. in the middle east. 1.5 million dead Iraqis from our sanctions, the overthrow of the democratically elected president of Iran and the imposition of the Shah in 1953 by the US CIA, the unilateral support of Israel no matter what it does in Palestine, selling of planes, bombs, etc. to Israel, the financial support of the puppet regimes in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Lybia (just limiting the list to the middle east – plenty more all over the world). We train these leaders and their militaries at places like the School of the Americas where they learn torture techniques, etc. We prop up their regimes and turn a blind eye while they torture and kill their own citizens. We have attacked, destroyed, invaded, and occupied two countries in the region. All this information is readily available in books, on foreign news sites, and on other web sites run by people who care enough about the truth to question the sanity of the folks running the foreign policy of the US.
Sorry you are from somewhere else.
InAtl
September 12th, 2012
3:37 pm
Yeah, Auntie, we get it. You hate America and all it stands for. Find me a first-world country that hasn’t had its share of mistakes. Sometimes difficult decisions have been made to go with the lesser of two evils, but I imagine you like to overlook that. The Shah was not great, but look what took his place. And while you’re at it, why don’t you totally ignore all the good that this country has done around the world.
InAtl
September 12th, 2012
3:38 pm
Committed, you hate America, too. Got it.
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
3:41 pm
Thanks Auntie Christ – I was trying to just stay in the middle east, but the records in our own hemisphere are considerably worse.
Glad to see that some others have come from the same “reality school” as me.
The first step to overcoming your issues is admiting you have a problem. The US is unwilling to admit it has a foreign policy problem. You would think that 9-11 would have clearly shown the errors of our foreign policy ways, but when you have a president that is unwilling to look in the mirror but instead blames “our freedom” for the tragedy, and then the sheep eat that up as if it were the truth, educating folks is going to be a hard road.
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
3:42 pm
Love america, hate my government and its foreign policy. Got it?
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
3:42 pm
And you hate the truth. More appropriately, you can’t handle the truth. Got it.
jebbery
September 12th, 2012
3:43 pm
“I come from the library where I have bothered to read the history of our actions, our CIA’s actions, etc. in the middle east. ”
You must mean the secret, “I hate America” library, where every act of the American military is branded as “torture & mayhem,” and anyone who likes living here and enjoys the freedom our nation offers is branded a right-wing fanatic.
“All this information is readily available in books, on foreign news sites, and on other web sites run by people who care enough about the truth ”
Are you talking about the Al Jazeera web site or are you talking about every “Occupy” web site out there that was created to vaguely protest “the man” and his actions?
Auntie Christ
September 12th, 2012
3:47 pm
Inatl: yeah we get you too. everything is black or white, good or evil, for us or against us. If one dares say the USA isn’t all good and sweetness, one hates Amerka. What a childlike, simplistic view you have, which is just my nice way of saying your’re a moron.
jebbery
September 12th, 2012
3:48 pm
@Committed you should contact Cynthia McKinney. I’m sure she’ll let you know when the next flotilla trip is and you can jump on board!
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
3:49 pm
InATL – Time to remove the rose-colored glasses and wake up to how your country got to where it is. It certainly wasn’t by following the constitution, the rule of law, or even Christian principles. As well, it wasn’t the people, consciously voting for the actions our government, its black ops groups, its military, its state department, its CIA, or others engaged in. This is not a condemnation of those who were ignorant. This is a condemnation of those who were not ignorant but chose to just let it happen without speaking up.
Yes, every country stumbles, but the history of the US since about the Civil War has been one of Empire rather than constitutional republic. If we had actually stuck to the principles we were founded on, or even returned to them when we found ourselves deviating, the story would be far different. We have taken a wrong turn and there appears to be no going back. Even those who would point out the truth and would try and return us to principles are condemned for truth telling.
“Truth is treason in an empire of lies.” – Ron Paul
honested
September 12th, 2012
3:50 pm
InAtl,
Do you support the propositions put forth in the Constitution or do you just view them as a method for building and funding the largest, most expensive and most deadly Military Industrial Complex on earth and then using that machine to exercise whatever hostility on whichever population has the unmitigated gall to live in a fashion American corporations are unable to profit from?
Just wondering.
Hollow patriotism is one thing. Hewing to the ideals of our form of Government is another thing entirely.
DJ Sniper
September 12th, 2012
3:51 pm
Wow. It’s a shame that so many people prefer to have the wool pulled over their eyes. To some people, any negative criticism of your own country means that you hate your country. Sorry folks, but as great as American can be, we have a very checkered past and a lot of blood on our hands. We are not always the good guys.
honested
September 12th, 2012
3:54 pm
While we’re at it on identifying foreign policy fubars, let’s not forget ronald ray-gun and his disaster in Nicaragua.
He oversaw allowing the interests of a few super-wealthy fruit planters destabilize American Foreign Policy in Central America and in Iran at the same time!
As always, the pocketbooks of the wealthy were more important than the lives of innocent citizens in several unrelated countries.
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
3:54 pm
jebbery – you have successfully used all the appropriate catch phrases and have identified all of the “demonized” groups in your hollow attempt to justify your willing ignorance of the truth of american history. No point in wasting my time to list all the great places you can go for the truth – those who care, already go there daily. I think Auntie’s comments apply equally as well to your thoughts. I would love to be a fly on the wall when you actually are forced to face reality someday. It will be a funny sight I am sure.
Committed to freedom
September 12th, 2012
3:57 pm
honested – If you look at virtually every incident that falls into the category I was speaking of, money, power, control, etc. are behind every one of them. This country began with a significant undercurrent of merchantilism (or government/business collusion), advanced to the “American System” as promoted by Clay and Lincoln, and morphed into the crony capitalism/fascism that came into full force under FDR and his successors. Some very well-educated folks reading and commenting today (and some others).
Don't Tread
September 12th, 2012
3:57 pm
“Just don’t let them hide their names when they do it”, said the anonymous blogger.
Why don’t you lead by example and post under your actual name?
jebbery
September 12th, 2012
4:06 pm
@Committed I get it. Totally. I’ll have to find that secret library of yours, the one loaded with truths (not to mention the hefty volumes available on Israel’s de-legitimization and contempt for the Jewish state) and not catch phrases. One day when I find these “great places to go for the truth” I’ll face reality, something bad will happen and I will cry.
jd
September 12th, 2012
4:09 pm
Christians are taught to be humble — show me the humility in our responses in this column…
InAtl
September 12th, 2012
4:13 pm
Every large industrialized nation has its checkered past. (Gee, didn’t I already point that out? Could have sworn I did). So why don’t you two America lovers tell us what country you would emulate? You do realize, too, don’t you, that instances of things you disagreed with happened over many years under different administrations and different organizations lead by lots of different people who happened to find some reason to do the things they did. You may happen to disagree with their rationales, but you still haven’t pointed out a country you’d rather live in. Why don’t you tell us. And also tell us how you weigh all these supposed atrocities against the humanitarian aid and good deeds done by America. I’d give it 98 percent good, 2 percent bad.
DJ Sniper
September 12th, 2012
4:27 pm
Wow. Did this guy just say 98% good, 2% bad? He is really living in la-la land.
td
September 12th, 2012
4:37 pm
Someone has to be the leader of the world and make the rules. For some of you to think that we can all just get along and not bother one another are living in a fantasy world. For some of you to believe that there are other countries in this world that want to take our place as the leader and insist (at the point of a gun) their rules then you live in a fantasy world. For some of you to believe that the second largest religion in the world (Islam with over 1 billion believers) has a fascist sect (more then 10 million strong) do not totally believe that the infidels either submit to the religion, become the slave of a believer or die then you live in a fantasy world.
Some of you posters on this blog do not love this country in its present form and are working to allow some of these other groups to become more powerful then us and control us and change the country to a form other then the one we currently know.
InAtl
September 12th, 2012
4:45 pm
td, amen to that.
Bernie
September 12th, 2012
5:01 pm
America…The ONE whose FEET rushes to WAR, neither has a PLAN for WAY OUT.
honested
September 12th, 2012
5:12 pm
Enter your comments here
honested
September 12th, 2012
5:14 pm
Apparently we now have a ‘moderator’ who does not believe that billions of people are not religious and do not want to be encumbered by religion.
Kris
September 12th, 2012
5:15 pm
Smitty can huff and puff, shake his fist point his finger. All he wants.
The truth is he and his pet rhynnie couldn’t pour water out of a boot with instructions printed on the heel.
Leave the politics to the big boys…
Keep America free and out of war Re-elect President OBAMA
Auntie Christ
September 12th, 2012
5:29 pm
td
September 12th, 2012
4:37 pm
” control us and change the country to a form other then the one we currently know.”
*********************************
Before you offered your 2 cents worth (actually 2 pesos worth, you should have read the comments about how the USA’s desire to control the affairs of other nations, not always in the other nation’s best interest, has lead to our present state of affairs, but again with you people, if the USA is doing the controlling, the invading, the torturing, its okay, because we’re the good guys who do no wrong.
And for someone like you who never wore the uniform, who never put your life on the line for this country, to come on here and dictate who “loves” this country and who doesn’t is a joke.
I consider someone who comes here everyday and insults the leader of the free world with terms like obozo, obummer, the kenyan, the muslim ad nauseum, to be the traitors and anti Americans. He is the President of all Americans and to be insulted by small minds like yours is the ultimate insult.
td
September 12th, 2012
5:56 pm
Auntie Christ
September 12th, 2012
5:29 pm
1: How do you know if I have ever worn the uniform? I have not said one way or the other and I will not say because it is none of your dam business.
2: Go find a post where I have called Obama any word you displayed. Now if you would have said messiah and chief then you would be correct about me but that is not a cut down of Obama but instead a cut down of his followers.
td
September 12th, 2012
6:15 pm
Auntie Christ
September 12th, 2012
5:29 pm
“Before you offered your 2 cents worth (actually 2 pesos worth, you should have read the comments about how the USA’s desire to control the affairs of other nations, not always in the other nation’s best interest, has lead to our present state of affairs, but again with you people, if the USA is doing the controlling, the invading, the torturing, its okay, because we’re the good guys who do no wrong.”
If not us then who? Someone has to be in charge in every relationship, in every business, in every government and in the world. This is human nature and it can not be suppressed and if you think so then you my friend are a fool.
Auntie Christ
September 12th, 2012
6:33 pm
td
September 12th, 2012
6:15 pm
If not us then who? Someone has to be in charge in every relationship, in every business, in every government and in the world. This is human nature and it can not be suppressed and if you think so then you my friend are a fool.
*************************************
The fool is the one who thinks they can control and oppress and not have the enslaved resent their enslavement. The fool thinks they can throw their weight around with impunity and not incur the resentment of those who have been harmed by that hubris. The fool thinks they will be respected if they are feared. The fool thinks because we did these things I just described there will be no consequences. The fool thinks a President is weak if they realize the actions I described are counter-productive. In short, a fool is a right winger.
MrLiberty
September 12th, 2012
6:48 pm
InATL – I don’t know about Committed to Freedom, but personally I like the Swiss for their foreign policy. They arm themselves to the teeth, make sure that every citizen is well-trained, have hidden nukes (likely) throughout their mountain passes, never get involved in foreign conflicts by taking sides, and have never been invaded in modern history even though the Kaiser said he would during WW1 (but he knew better). In addition, they have local democratic rule, up until recently when they stupidly joined the Euro, had a sound currency, banking secrecy, and actually understood the meaning of decentralized power.
As for a specific country overall – I would have to say America, back when the constitution mattered.
Maybe you are comfortable with accepting the complete failure of a political system this country has become, and the shame its government has brought on the nation, but I am working to retore the republic because I know this is not what America is supposed to be.
And before you start blaming administration after administration as if they are somehow distinct and separate, its also high time you got educated about WHO actually runs this country and our foreign policy (and domestic for that matter). It does not matter which party is in power, the war party is always in control. The dems and the reps are just two wings of the same welfare/warfare party that has run this country at least since the establishment of the Federal Reserve. If there were honest politicians with principles getting elected, we could have restored the republic to its proper size, power, and function a long time ago during any of the previous administrations. That is not how this country sadly works. America was supposed to be the world’s hope. Now there is no place to turn. Millions all over the globe supported Ron Paul because they saw HIM as the hope to restore america. America is not ready to restore the republic and end the empire.
cc
September 12th, 2012
6:49 pm
My, my, the anti-America crowd is out in force today! It is my fervent prayer that those who hate this country have the opportunity to live in another part of the world that is more acceptable to them.
Of course, if the Kenyan has his way, he will deliver that life to you right here.
We will never know because of the anonymity blogs afford us, but I daresay not a single one of the America haters have ever served this country in any capacity, certainly not the military in actual combat during any war.
You don't say
September 12th, 2012
7:05 pm
cc
You served when and where?
This is Mrs. Norman Maine
September 12th, 2012
7:09 pm
The irony of a Jew condemning another religion as a “cancer” is too much to bear. This same type of thinking led to 6 million of his people being shoved into ovens and concentration camps. Remember that Bacile?