White House Walks Back/Cleans Up/Clarifies The Foreign Policy President's (TM) "Not An Ally" Statement

You know, some foreign policy naifs -- some amateurs -- some people with no competency to handle the foreign affairs of a nation -- have a tendency to shoot first and aim later.

President Barack Obama didn't intend to signal any change in the U.S.-Egypt relationship last night when he said Egypt is not an "ally," the White House told The Cable today.

...

"I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy," Obama said...

That comment had Egypt watchers scratching their heads, especially since technically, Egypt was designated as a Major Non-NATO Ally in 1989 when Congress first passed the law creating that status, which gives them special privileges in cooperating with the United States, especially in the security and technology areanas.

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."

I don't think this is the hugest of deals, but Obama seemed unsteady when asked a somewhat obvious question about Egypt -- a question he should have expected, given that Egypt just permitted its mobs to raid our sovereign territory.

And yet he tanked it. He said Egypt wasn't an ally and then had to be corrected by his staffers.

This is The Foreign Policy President (TM), remember. This is the Steady Hand At The Till.

Sort of like Joe Biden, with less kissing.

posted by Ace at 01:43 PM

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