Sandmonkey with some tough love for Egypt

HERE.

It’s a good piece. Among other things, it is now quite tiresome to hear Egyptians complain that “the United States supports the Muslim Brotherhood.” Not really. The United States is simply in a tough position, just as Sandmonkey notes (not that the United States has handled policy towards Egypt very well at all).

The criticism becomes even more bizarre when, as can be seen in at least one of the comments below Sandmonkey’s piece (and I’ve often heard it elsewhere), the claim is made that the U.S. is supporting the Brotherhood “because of Israel.” Really? As if Israel preferred the Hamas-loving Morsi to Mubarak? I’m afraid this notion is ridiculous.

That line of argument only works if you buy into the ugly conspiracy theorist line that if anything happens and you don’t like it, then the Jews must somehow be behind it, even if it looks brutally contrary to Israel’s own interests (such as, for example, the removal of Mubarak, which really was contrary to Israel’s interests).

Try to remember that Israel gave Obama a hard time for supposedly not supporting Mubarak enough. I don’t remember them giving Obama a hard time for not supporting Morsi on June 30. Indeed, I remember all Israeli officials saying effectively “no comment” about the military takeover.

Bottom line: hundreds of people have been gunned down in the streets, and the new Egyptian government is simply saying “Egypt against terrorism,” and not doing a very good job of explaining why they’re saying that. Sandmonkey nails that point too.