Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood goes down dictatorship path.

[BigRedChief]

Grant themselves sweeping powers and give the Islamist s the power to write the constitution. Riots break out in multiple cities.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11...#ixzz2DA59xzWv

CAIRO – Egypt's highest body of judges slammed on Saturday a recent decision by the president to grant himself near-absolute power, calling the move an "unprecedented assault" on the judiciary.

In a statement carried on Egypt's official MENA news agency, the Supreme Judicial Council condemned this week's declaration by President Mohammed Morsi placing his decrees above judicial review until a new constitution and parliament is in place, several months if not more in the future.
Their condemnation of the president's edicts are the latest blow to Morsi, whose decision Thursday set off a firestorm of controversy and prompted tens of thousands of people to take to the streets in nationwide protests Friday.
Through their statement, the judges join a widening list of leaders and activists from Egypt's political factions, including some Islamists, who have denounced the decree.

The Supreme Judicial Council is packed with judges appointed by former President Hosni Mubarak. It regulates judicial promotions and is chaired by the head of the Court of Cassation.

Their move reflects a broad sense of anger within the judiciary. Some judges' groups and prosecutors have already announced partial strikes to protest Morsi's decree.

Morsi has accused pro-Mubarak elements in the judiciary of blocking political progress. In the last year, courts have dissolved the lower house of parliament as well as the first panel drafting the constitution, both led by his Muslim Brotherhood group.

The edicts Morsi issued mean that no judicial body can dissolve the upper house of parliament or the current assembly writing the new constitution, which are also both led by the Brotherhood. Supporters of Morsi feared that court might in fact dissolve one of these bodies, further postponing Egypt's transition under the aegis of a new constitution.

They say Morsi has a mandate to guide this process as Egypt's first freely elected president, having defeated one of Mubarak's former prime ministers this summer in a closely contested election.

The judges' council's stand against the president sets the ground for an uneasy alliance between former regime officials and activist groups that helped topple Mubarak's regime and have in the past derided those officials as "felool," or remnants.

The presidents' opponents nonetheless see the judiciary as the only remaining civilian branch of government with a degree of independence, since Morsi already holds executive power and as well as legislative authority due to the dissolution of parliament.

The judges released their statement following an emergency meeting Saturday. They said Morsi's decision is an "unprecedented assault on the judiciary and it rulings" and called on the president to "distance himself from the declaration and all things that touch judicial authority, its specifications or interference in its members or its rulings."

[alanm]

Originally Posted by HonestChieffan

Im sure Obama will cut off the foreign aid if the MB gets really going, don't you? Fanatical Islam and sharia law, human rights folks will get Obama to take away US support. What do you think?

I've seen this game before. He'll throw more money at them hoping to appease them.

[HonestChieffan]

Originally Posted by alanm

I've seen this game before. He'll throw more money at them hoping to appease them.

So we will reward behavior that is counter to our intetests? This is confusing. Unless what is happening is what the administration supports. In that case Obama should get credit for this success and we would then be rewarding our good friends for their progress.

Perhaps we are looking at this wrong?

[patteeu]

Compare and contrast:

Egyptian people rise up against a dictator who served US interests well for several decades --> Obama administration tells him to GTFO

vs

Egyptian people rise up against a dictator whose sympathies lie with anti-western Islamists --> Obama administration tells protestors to stay calm and resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by patteeu

Compare and contrast:

Egyptian people rise up against a dictator who served US interests well for several decades --> Obama administration tells him to GTFO

vs

Egyptian people rise up against a dictator whose sympathies lie with anti-western Islamists --> Obama administration tells protestors to stay calm and resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue.

yeah, lets help keep the dictator in power. Help him kill people wanting democratic elections?

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

yeah, lets help keep the dictator in power. Help him kill people wanting democratic elections?

You're starting to sound like Kotter.

1. I've never suggested that we should have helped kill anyone just for wanting democratic elections.

2. We're helping to keep a dictator in power right now. We're asking pro-democracy demonstrators to calm down instead of telling the dictator to step down. How can your blinders be so effective that you've missed that?

[Pawnmower]

Originally Posted by HonestChieffan

Im sure Obama will cut off the foreign aid if the MB gets really going, don't you?

Gets really going? You mean like winning the presidency AND control of their congress?


They are going...strong.


The question is will the Egyptian people tolerate a theocracy , and the MB pushing them around when the MB sat on the sidelines during the revolution. (Or for how long will they tolerate this?)

As to your question, I think the money will flow as long as Egypt keeps their peace deal with Israel.

[Direckshun]

It appears now that these powers will not hold.

The legal system is resisting it, but mainly the military that still runs the country is deeply distrustful of him.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

yeah, lets help keep the dictator in power. Help him kill people wanting democratic elections?

The point.
Your head.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by patteeu

Compare and contrast:

Egyptian people rise up against a dictator who served US interests well for several decades --> Obama administration tells him to GTFO

vs

Egyptian people rise up against a dictator whose sympathies lie with anti-western Islamists --> Obama administration tells protestors to stay calm and resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue.

Do you believe Obama is a Kenyan-born Muslim as well?

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Do you believe Obama is a Kenyan-born Muslim as well?

No. He's probably a atheistic, leftist who was born in Hawaii and who sympathizes with the people of the world that he thinks have been oppressed by western colonialism and neo-colonialism (including the oppression of palestinians by the Israelis, most relevantly). How about you?

And do you have a relevant response to the post you quoted.

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

So, what should we have done differently?

Sent Obama & Biden on a secret mission to rule Egypt.

[Iowanian]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

That is just general statements. What statements, assurances would you like to have seen made? and to whom?

Aid to who? and what aid?

If you and the rest of the Obama fans are going to credit him with solving global warming every time he farts, you're going to have to accept it when he steps on his pickle too.


Obama was going to fix Egypt...but then he got high.

[go bowe]

just curious, how would YOU have "fixed egypt"?

[Direckshun]

There really wasn't much a responsible US foreign policy could do in Egypt, or really any of these countries during their popular uprisings, other than talk to the dictators behind closed doors about exercising restraint or stepping down, and of course making sure Americans are protected. Obama did all of these in Egypt.

It seems to me that the other option in Egypt was to either go Full Iran, where we just keep our distance, or go Full Bahrain, which is where we arm those in power to further brutalize their people until they give up (I wrote about that here).

I think we handled Egypt as well as can be expected. I haven't heard much in the way of effective rebuttals to that, just blanket criticism from the usual suspects and some of the usual nonspecific pablum.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

There really wasn't much a responsible US foreign policy could do in Egypt, or really any of these countries during their popular uprisings, other than talk to the dictators behind closed doors about exercising restraint or stepping down, and of course making sure Americans are protected. Obama did all of these in Egypt.

It seems to me that the other option in Egypt was to either go Full Iran, where we just keep our distance, or go Full Bahrain, which is where we arm those in power to further brutalize their people until they give up (I wrote about that here).

I think we handled Egypt as well as can be expected. I haven't heard much in the way of effective rebuttals to that, just blanket criticism from the usual suspects and some of the usual nonspecific pablum.

You left out an infinite number of other options. All we know for sure is that the option selected by Obama led to what is currently a MB dictatorship. Maybe he'll be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but I'm not even sure he sees victory the same way pro-Americans do.

Oh, and btw, wrt "nonspecific pablum": scoreboard.