Even though Obama comment has been criticized--Egypt got the message...

[WI_DEM]

So my question to the media is this--was it really foolish?:

Though the Obama administration President Obama looked somewhat foolish declaring that Egypt is neither an ally nor an enemy after the Cairo embassy attack, it appears Egypt got the message.

New York Times: "Following a blunt phone call from President Obama, Egyptian leaders scrambled Thursday to try to repair the country's alliance with Washington, tacitly acknowledging that they erred in their response to the attack on the United States Embassy by seeking to first appease anti-American domestic opinion without offering a robust condemnation of the violence."

First Read: "Domestically, the Obama administration looked disorganized on this ally question; just bizarre listening to Jay Carney's 'official definition' of ally to walk back his boss' comments. But internationally, it does appear that Egypt got the message. Suddenly, it appears Morsi has shut down the protests for today."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/09/14/egypt_scrambles_to_repair_relations_with_us.html

[seabeyond]

1. absolutely. it was spot on tough, smart and what they need to hear. nt

[nanabugg]

15. I guess they are jumping the gun once again. Ryan condemning Obama for not being tough...nt

[Inuca]

2. The moment I heard it

I took it as a warning, not a change in policy. SO far at leasr, the warning seems to have worked.

[eqfan592]

3. Criticized by whom?

And anybody on fox news doesn't count.

Seriously tho, I thought the remark was spot on and clearly thought out, and it seems to be having the desired impact.

[ProSense]

4. Muslim Brotherhood Offers Condolences

Muslim Brotherhood Offers Condolences
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/13/1131619/-Muslism-Brotherhood-Offers-Condolences

[ProSense]

5. Gotta say

this is one of the stupidest sentences ever:

Though the Obama administration President Obama looked somewhat foolish declaring that Egypt is neither an ally nor an enemy after the Cairo embassy attack, it appears Egypt got the message.

<...>

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told The Cable Thursday that the administration is not signaling a change in that status.

"I think folks are reading way too much into this," Vietor said. "‘Ally' is a legal term of art. We don't have a mutual defense treaty with Egypt like we do with our NATO allies. But as the president has said, Egypt is longstanding and close partner of the United States, and we have built on that foundation by supporting Egypt's transition to democracy and working with the new government."

Vietor referred to Obama's Wednesday phone call with Mohamed Morsy, during which Obama pressed the Egyptian president to ensure the safety and protection of U.S. personnel and facilities in Egypt. Morsy agreed to do so, according to a White House statement on the phone call.

"The President said that he rejects efforts to denigrate Islam, but underscored that there is never any justification for violence against innocents and acts that endanger American personnel and facilities," the statement said. "President Morsi expressed his condolences for the tragic loss of American life in Libya and emphasized that Egypt would honor its obligation to ensure the safety of American personnel."

- more -

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/13/white_house_clarifies_obama_s_statement_that_egypt_is_not_an_ally

[cilla4progress]

6. Positive article in NYT

about tide turning in the protests.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/middleeast/anti-american-protests-over-film-enter-4th-day.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

Fortunately, moderate forces in the middle east calling to tamp down the violence, with the Muslim Brotherhood calling for stepped down protests.

Young democracies finding their way, esp. around the issue of free speech.

This could turn out well for all.

[porphyrian]

7. This is how professionals operate foreign policy. n/t

[dkf]

8. Should that really have played out in public though?

I mean what does it look like to the Egyptians? The officials look like they are bought and paid for.

It's too bad it wasn't more back channel.

[porphyrian]

11. They're used to corrupt officials, freedom of expression is new to them. n/t

[The Magistrate]

13. Absolutely, Ma'am

What it 'looks like to the Egyptians' is what it was, a plain statement that their actions were not those of an ally, and that if persisted in, could come to be regarded as the actions of an enemy. Public statements are by far best for things like this; nothing demonstrates serious intent like a flat statement en clair.

[jsr]

9. For the billions we give them, they'd better protect our embassy

with heavy weaponry, if necessary. Or there'd be hell to pay.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. The M$M can't really fathom how this man

managed to get in and stay in office. If his administration had listened to their incessant throw-back 20th century babbling, we would be right back in the Shrub administration, flailing around and burning hoards of my taxpayer money on their larks.

[fugop]

12. I'm not always big on the 10-dimensional chess theories...

but this is the perfect demonstration of how President Obama is often thinking many moves ahead. Pundits just make themselves look like idiots by assuming he didn't know what he was doing, when ultimately, it's shown that the President knew EXACTLY what the f%$k he was doing.

[jillan]

14. What the RW doesn't get is that our President first bombs countries with words.