Archive for the ‘Egypt’ Category

Jimmy Carter may be about to dip back into Egyptian politics.

The former president, who negotiated the Camp David Accords in 1978, resulting in a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, told students at the University of Texas in Austin this week that “the Middle East is still a testing box for the whole world – and I say that greatly recognizing that there are other places threatening to erupt.”

From ABC News:

The Carter Center, the former president’s humanitarian organization, will be sending a delegation to Egypt within a few weeks to visit with military leaders, help draft a constitution and set up democratic elections for September.

The former president has also met members of the Muslim Brotherhood during his time in Egypt. According to Carter, only 15 percent of Egyptians would actually vote for the Brotherhood during elections.

“I think that the Muslim Brotherhood is not anything to be afraid of,” Carter said. “They will be subsumed in the overwhelming …

Continue reading Carter Center to send delegation to Egypt to meet with military »

Over the weekend, the New York Times described the split between Barack Obama and his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, over U.S. reaction to the Egyptian revolution:

A president who himself is often torn between idealism and pragmatism was navigating the counsel of a traditional foreign policy establishment led by Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Biden and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, against that of a next-generation White House staff who worried that the American preoccupation with stability could put a historic president on the wrong side of history.

Former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich in Iowa on Saturday. AP/The Hawk Eye

But Republicans, too, have been all over the map. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was asked what he thought of the Obama administration’s handling of the matter. Said Boehner:

”I think they’ve handled what is a very difficult situation about as well as it could be handled.”

Yet on his second trip to Iowa this …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Like White House, Republicans in disarray over Egypt »

Earlier this afternoon, we posted on the different tones on the Egyptian revolution sounded by potential Republican candidates for president and U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, now the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Shannon McCaffrey of the Associated Press’ Atlanta bureau followed former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich on his second foray into Iowa this year, where Gingrich continued his criticism:

FRUITLAND, Iowa — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Saturday blasted the Obama administration’s handling of the political upheaval in Egypt as “clumsy” and “amateurish.

In an interview on Saturday, Gingrich said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s decision to step down amid mass protests was “good for the future.”

But the potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate said the Democratic administration has been sending confusing signals that could damage U.S. credibility.

“You couldn’t tell from day to day what the policy was,” Gingrich said.

He …

Continue reading Newt Gingrich expands criticism of U.S. reaction to Egyptian revolution »

The revolution in Egypt may have just revealed U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ new role in the coming GOP race for president.

On matters of foreign policy and national security, Chambliss could become the man who serves as a reality check for the likes of Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin — reining in those who cast chunks of red meat over the line.

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., arrives for a recent closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Associated Press.

Last month, Chambliss was named the ranking Republican on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, responsible for oversight of the CIA and such. Should the GOP seize control of the Senate in ‘12, he could very well be the committee’s next chairman.

That makes Chambliss an official member of secret Washington, privy to the unspoken details behind every crisis of note. Much of his business will now be conducted over secure phones — which have just been installed in …

Continue reading Saxby Chambliss’ new role in the ‘12 GOP race for president »