McCain Takes Charge on Egypt

Radio host Mark Levin's criticism of John McCain for his recent comments on the situation in Egypt are unwarranted and unfair.

Unlike some of my fellow FrumForum contributors, I have not been critical of Mark Levin. In fact, truth be told, I like Levin. I find him to be informative. His bombast and bluster strike me as refreshing and entertaining.

But I must say, in all candor, that his recent criticism of John McCain is quite unwarranted and unfair.

Levin calls McCain a “useful idiot.” He faults McCain for demanding Mubarak’s immediate resignation, insulting Pakistan’s army, giving credence to jihadist propaganda about Pakistan, encouraging the protestors in Jordan, and saying “a number of stupid things [that] reinforce the Muslim Brotherhood propaganda strategy.”

In other words, writes Levin:

Force Mubarak out immediately in the midst of what looks like anarchy, replace him [with Omar] Suleiman, then have the U.S. do everything it can to stabilize the situation. Take down the governments in Jordan and Pakistan and replace them with, what?

Our nation is being led by ideologues and amateurs. That’s the real danger.

Whoa! That’s quite an indictment! Too bad it doesn’t hold up under critical scrutiny.

McCain did say (to Fox News’ Greta van Susteren) that Mubarak has overstayed his welcome and must, therefore, leave office now. As FrumForum readers might surmise, I agree. I have been heartened by Egypt’s revolution.

Mubarak’s intransigence, in fact, is the reason there is now instability and violence in Egypt. And the longer Mubarak clings to power, the more likely it is that Egypt’s revolution will be hijacked by Islamists who are hostile to the West.

Pace Levin, McCain did not “insult the Pakistani army.” He simply lamented that the United States does not have as good relations with the Pakistani military as we do with the Egyptian military.

McCain rightly observed that our relations with the Egyptian military are excellent. This important relationship gives the United States tremendous leverage over what happens in Egypt. Unfortunately, the Obama administration has not really exercised this leverage publicly (and maybe, for all we know, privately as well).

But without clear and unmistakable public communication about American expectations, the risk of miscalculation by the Egyptian military is great. And in fact, the Egyptian military already has miscalculated by failing to stop the outbreak of violence in Cairo.

McCain did single out Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani as a key American ally. Levin complains that by praising Kayani publicly, McCain gave “credence to the jihadists’ accusation that [he] is our man.”

But jihadist propaganda is not something we can control; and it is not something that we should fear. Any country, after all, that works with the United States -- and even some that don’t! -- is smeared by al-Qaeda as a lackey of the U.S. government.

And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Let the jihadists know that they are in our target sites; and that we are working closely with our allies -- including Gen. Kayani -- to kill them and to destroy their networks.

McCain’s remarks about Jordan, it seems to me, were very measured and sober-minded.

McCain reminded Fox News’ viewers that Jordan has been a close friend of America and Israel, “and has helped us in more ways than I can describe publicly.” And yet, Jordan, too, he explained, is beset with the revolutionary impulse that is now sweeping the Middle East.

I’m not sure what exactly, Levin disliked about McCain’s comments concerning the Muslim Brotherhood. McCain said he’s “very concerned” about the Brotherhood. “I’m deeply concerned about them hijacking any election.”

Why is this comment “stupid”? And how does it “reinforce the Muslim Brotherhood propaganda strategy”? Levin doesn’t say.

McCain said this is

probably the most dangerous period of history in our entire involvement in the Middle East, at least in modern times. Israel is in danger of being surrounded by countries that are [either] against [its] very existence… or governed by radical organizations.

That sounds right to me. I’m not sure what in that comment Levin finds objectionable.

In fact, if McCain should be faulted for anything, it is for being too cautious and tentative -- and too indulgent of the Obama administration’s errors and mistakes.

In fact, amazingly, McCain said: “So far, I think, the President [Obama] has handled it [Egypt] pretty well.”

I wish this were true, but in fact, it is not. Obama has been weak and timid, and at precisely the time when he must be bold and imaginative. And so, Mubarak clings to power and violence erupts in Egypt.

A big part of the problem has been Obama’s unwillingness to exercise public diplomacy through the bully pulpit.

Like many politicians and policymakers, Obama seems to believe that results are best achieved by working quietly and behind the scenes. In truth, though, this is seldom the case. More often than not, public pressure and public communications are required to effect real “hope and change.”

Yet inexplicably, McCain says he’s not sure if Obama should publicly communicate American expectations vis-à-vis Egypt. “I think that should be a decision that the President of the United States should have to make.”

Of course it’s the president’s decision. But if the president wants to avert violence in Egypt and promote democratization there, then he had better communicate openly and publicly with Egyptian leaders, the Egyptian military, the Egyptian public and the world.

The man for whom Levin once worked, Ronald Wilson Reagan, understood this. That’s why Reagan went to the Berlin Wall and, in a very big and public way, demanded that the Soviet leader, Secretary Gorbachev, “tear down this wall.”

There are other walls in the world that also must be torn down, including the walls of oppression in Egypt and the Middle East. The current occupant of the Oval Office, Barack Obama, should follow Reagan’s example and demand that these walls, too, be torn down -- now.

John Guardiano blogs at www.ResoluteCon.Com, and you can follow him on Twitter: @JohnRGuardiano.

Tweet