Obama: Another Jimmy Carter

The current events in Egypt exposed to the world the ineptness of the Obama Administration.

Case in point:

The term Muslim Brotherhood is an umbrella term for a variety of movements. In the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried al-Qaeda as a perversion of Islam.

This was said by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper at a congressional hearing yesterday.

This guy is totally out to lunch! Secular? Eschewed violence? This would be funny if it weren't such a serious matter.

Also, CIA Director Leon Panetta raised more eyebrows at a Capitol Hill hearing when he told lawmakers yesterday there was "a strong likelihood that Mubarak may step down this evening." Panetta stepped into it further when he said he was basing this on press reports. Press reports?! What did his intelligence people in Egypt tell him, if anything?

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down today in what amounts to a military coup. The Obama Administration has shown during the Egyptian crisis that friends can't rely on the support of the American government while in the hands of liberal Democrats. Just ask the Shah of Iran!

Like Jimmy Carter, Obama greased the skids for the downfall of a U.S. ally. In 1979, Carter greased the skids for the Shah's downfall and look at what took over. We continue to pay a heavy price over Carter's Iran debacle. Now we see a repeat of this involving Mubarak.

What will eventually take over power in Egypt? Will the new government be friendly to the U.S. and Israel? Or will it be hostile? This is a question that is of most concern.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, one of the arguments against the election of Barack Obama was that he would amount to being "Jimmy Carter's second term." It appears that this prediction is coming true.

Obama: just another Jimmy Carter.

Turning Down the Volume

CIA Director Leon Panetta has given the following message to CIA employees:

Message from the Director: Turning Down the Volume

There is a long tradition in Washington of making political hay out of our business. It predates my service with this great institution, and it will be around long after I’m gone. But the political debates about interrogation reached a new decibel level yesterday when the CIA was accused of misleading Congress.

Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing “the enhanced techniques that had been employed.” Ultimately, it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened.

My advice — indeed, my direction — to you is straightforward: ignore the noise and stay focused on your mission. We have too much work to do to be distracted from our job of protecting this country.

We are an Agency of high integrity, professionalism, and dedication. Our task is to tell it like it is — even if that’s not what people always want to hear. Keep it up. Our national security depends on it.

Bravo, Mr. Panetta! It's about time the agency was defended.