Pro-Israel friends have been quick to lambaste President Obama for his handling of the situation. I agree there have been serious missteps and there remains room for improvement in the Administration's posture and actions. But I've also been wondering WWWD - What Would W (Dubya) Do?
Bush 43 has received credit from some quarters this week for setting in motion a dynamic that may have directly contributed to the Arab uprisings against autocratic regimes we've seen in recent weeks. I certainly agree with Abrams' conclusion, that "supporting freedom is the best policy of all." But if the Egypt uprising had taken place during Bush's term, how would the Bush White House have responded differently than Obama has? Would Bush have immediately sided with the demonstrators and called on Mubarak to relinquish power? Would he have announced a suspension in US military aid until the protesters' demands for democratic reforms were met? Abrams rightly criticizes Obama for giving up on the oppressed in the Arab world, but stops short of concrete recommendations that both uphold universal human rights and also promote the vital national security interests of the United States.
Should we leave it at "we'll never know?" As far as I'm concerned, retirement doesn't disqualify Bush from opining even today - what is his advice for implementing the Bush Doctrine in the case of Egypt facing us today? Obama should not stand on ceremony: pick up the phone and ask 43 (and even 42 ... maybe) to drop by the old stomping grounds for some group brainstorming. He's going to need all the help he can get.
Yes, Biden's comment seems stupid, but let me go out on a limb here. Mid-East politics is famous for letting people say one thing in public and then do something diametrically opposite in private, just because that's the only way to make people play nice who would otherwise kill each other. You pretend that you are everyone's friend and act as a broker. So maybe the US strategy was to seemingly support Egypt so they wouldn't feel desperate, even though the U.S. know it was probably gonners for Egypt. Lots of conjecture, but a thought....
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