The Obama administration is attempting to walk back the damage done by the apology issued by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo for criticisms of Islam made by American citizens. In the wake of condemnations of the embassy’s shocking statement, which seemed to justify the violence that was directed at the United States, administration officials have now said the apology was not vetted by Washington. Responding perhaps to Mitt Romney’s outrage about the apology, last night Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued her own statement in which she also condemned critics of Islam but added, “There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.” But with the attacks on posts in both Libya and Cairo now having left four Americans dead and with anti-U.S. rioters acting with impunity, the problem here is bigger than one retracted apology.
But the damage control being performed in Washington isn’t enough to put the administration’s stand in a positive light. If the initial apology resonated around the world it was because it was very much in line with the tone of moral equivalence that was the keynote of President Obama’s speech to the Arab world given in Cairo in June 2009. Having set forth a credo that balanced understanding for grievances against U.S. policies with a desire to conciliate its critics rather than to forthrightly defend America and its allies, the president cannot now be surprised when the instinct of U.S. representatives abroad, and especially those in Cairo, is to apologize first and to be resolute later.
It should be noted that the initial reports about the apology which we noted last night were wrong about its timing. The craven U.S. statement that the administration has now disavowed was issued before and not after the attack on the embassy in Cairo where a mob stormed the compound, tore down and burned the U.S. flag and replaced it with an al Qaeda banner. The embassy later did condemn the “unjustified attack” on its property but said it stood by its apology for those Americans who criticized Islam.
That makes it appear a bit less awful, but for the United States to attempt to conciliate Islamists who are intolerant of any criticism of their faith, even by a small group of extremists on the other side of the world, was clearly a fool’s errand. For it to have done so without defending freedom of speech was intolerable.
The makers of the anti-Muslim film that is supposedly the reason for the violence in Egypt and Libya are being widely condemned. The film, which has reportedly been endorsed by the Rev. Terry Jones, who is famous for burning a Koran, is clearly a provocation. Those who engage in rhetoric designed to promote intolerance are wrong. But given the fact that hate against non-Muslim faiths, especially Judaism, is part of mainstream discourse in the Arab and Muslim worlds and especially in Egypt’s government-owned media, there is no reason for the U.S. to apologize for the actions of a small group of American extremists operating on the margins of our society.
The problem with the Obama administration’s attitude toward the Arab world is that a stance of moral equivalence that posed a false symmetry between the Holocaust and Palestinian grievances against Israel or of an Iranian nuclear threat and past complaints about America’s conduct in the Middle East invites the outrages we witnessed yesterday.
The assault on Americans on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks illustrates the deep-seated paranoia and intolerance on the part of Muslims and Arabs. Theirs is a worldview in which their sensibilities must be guarded at all times and places but that those of Americans and Jews can be abused with impunity.
The Egyptian government of President Mohamed Morsi, which did not act to protect the American embassy, has absorbed the lesson of the president’s Cairo speech. The Muslim Brotherhood, which now dominates Egypt, reacted to the attack on the embassy with a call for a further U.S. apology. Given that the United States has rewarded Morsi with debt relief and a commitment to continuing U.S. aid with no conditions attached, why shouldn’t they expect the sort of supine behavior from Americans that the embassy’s initial apology illustrated?
The spirit of apology and appeasement that often characterizes the Obama approach to critics of America breeds the sort of contempt for the United States that was demonstrated yesterday. It will take more than a Washington edict ordering the Cairo embassy to delete its craven tweets and press releases to erase the problem that the president’s own statements has created.
Tobin: "Those who engage in rhetoric designed to promote intolerance are wrong." Hey, you want to walk back that statement? There were elements of the American civil rights movement that arguably "engaged in rhetoric designed to promote intolerance" — they forcefully asserted the rights of blacks in a way that in some cases was probably meant to provoke a strong reaction from Southern racists. Were these activists "wrong"? Do you really want to give violent, intolerant thugs an effective "rioters' veto"?
If we had a real president instead of a jumped-up president of the senior class like Obama, people in Cairo and elsewhere would never doubt that Americans take a genuine insult to our flag even more seriously than radical Islamists take a fancied insult to their religion.
Tom!! you seem offended by what they did to the flag…but no mention that they murdered a Human being. Is this normal americanism????? very disturbing
Obama and Clinton need to rip a page from the PLO. Say one thing in English and another one in Arabic. This is basic. On the other hand Obama's apology fits well with MSNBC which stated this morning on Morning Joe that prostrating ourselves is entirely fine because, and I quote "What else do you expect Obama to do? Send in the Marines?"
Just as there was never a refusal by the White House to meet with Bibi (as we learn now), so there was never an "Obama apology" concerning either the riot in Egypt or the murders in Libya. n nWhat a site! Nothing but one long GOP attack ad. Commentary makes Fox News look like the NY Times.
Hillel, Obama may or may not have approved the embassy's apology. He most definitely refused to meet with Bibi. He has no time to meet with Bibi but he has time to go on Letterman? And to invite Morsi to a meeting during the same time frame? How gullible to you think we are? n nYou may fool the other Obama accolytes at DJNC and you may even fool yourself, but anachnu lo freyerim kol kach. If Obama were to micturate in your face, you'd say it was raining. Are you sure your name is Hillel and not Shill-el?
Oh but there was an apology by the embassy in Cairo twice. If you do not know this, then let me explain it to you. whatever ever the embassy of this country says, or does, is a reflection of the administration at that time. So, even if Obama did not say it himself, he said it through the embassy, and also Hilary Clinton and the rest of his party that has been apologizing all day for this movie. Give me a break. Since when do we as Americans need to apologize for exercising our freedom of speech? n
Be my guess, because he alleged "apology" was issued 6 hours before the demonstrations Egypt occurred much less the attacks in Benghazi.
Your Imperial Majesty, I DO expect him to send in the Marines. Protecting our embassies and punishing our enemies are important parts of the Corps' job, and our Marines volunteered to do that job as and when needed.
What more evidence do Americans need? How bad does it have to get before the country is willing to turn him out of office?
Mr. President… WAKE UP, AMERICA! Where's the outrage?!
I'm sure the Obama folks aren't fretting. Watch, he'll get another bump in the polls. By the way, has anyone mentioned that, as the Islamists rage, this president refused to meet with our only ally in the region–the Israeli prime minister?
I never heard Hillary or Obama criticize Arab states for their anti-semitic and anti-Christian statements.
Will Obama benefit from his horrendous blunders? I am worried sick that these murders might help him enormously. Most Americans are ignorant concerning foreign affairs. The MSM will try to turn Obama into a savior.
The US would never tolerate an attack on another nation's embassy or consulate on US soil. Our police, and if necessary our national guard and troops, would give their lives to prevent such an outrage. Every nation makes that commitment when it accepts another's embassy on its soil. n nEgypt and Libya broke that commitment. What do they intend to do about it and when do they apologize to us? And what are we going to do about it? If the perpetrators and the instigators are not brought to justice, will we withdraw our embassy, as self respect demands? Will we treat this (not the riot, but the foregin government's failure to protect the embassy against the riot) as the hostile act that it was? Or will the admnistration hang another 'stone me and burn me' sign on these embassies and every other US embassy in the world?
By the way, according to the Guardian, the same President Obama who cannot find time to meet with PM Netanyahu (but somehow has time to go on Letterman instead) has invited Egyptian Pres. Morsi to a persoanl meeting during that same time frame. Will the riot change that, or will Obama send the message that allowing a Muslim mob to storm a US embassy is a much less serious offense than for a Jewish prime minister to publicly disagree with POTUS over matters that are vital to the Jewish state's survival but that POTUS chooses to trivialize?
Maybe now people will see that Obama and Clintonare and have been wrong in their mideast ignorance of Idlam. There is NO CHANCE of democracy for any Islamic state; as a matter of fact, for anyone who has accepted Islam and believes that the Qu'ran and Sharia law/ n nThe Qu'ran is the Word of Allah [God] and Sharia is Allah's Law. and Both condemn the acceptance and adherence of any man-made law as a severe affront to Allah. a blasphemy, punishable by death. Q: 4"16/ n nI am a Christian and I know tht the Qu'ran demans that all believers, Muslims, MUST take part in PERPETUAL JIH whole world under Islam to lead them out of the 'darkness' they live under, and this jihad is repeated now, as it has been for over 1300 years: Google the Wu'ran, verses of the sword. . It is time to know the people who believe that you non=muslims have to brought uder Islam, either by consent, or to live as a slave and paying a 'fee' to exist, or be put to death for non=belief. n n
The DNC litany about "having killed Osama" is JUST as likely to have prompted events as some movie. nBEYOND THAT…the entire foreign policy of Obama/Clinton has prompted recent events. nAnd we are negotiating billions of dollars more to Egypt and helping them buy two German subs. nObama/Clinton foreign policy has been a failure abroad and a betrayal at home. nEnough of these regretful people in office!!!!!!
The embassy in Cairo spoke from Cairo. Do you really think they needed to incite more violence while speaking from Cairo? Just asking.
So the US Constitution, by protecting the right to free speech, incites violence. And by not apologizing for a criticism of Islam, something the US government had neither the power nor the moral right to prevent or interfere with, the embassy would have been inciting violence. n nGood thing for Serranno, and for Monty Python, that there were not violent mobs at Vatican City.
What is wrong with you Americans ? can you not see that Obama is trying to turn you all into an Islamic country? why are you not protesting like you protested the Vietnam war!!! This is so much worse, he is apologizing to Arabs for 911 and every atrocity that has happened like it was all America's fault. Wake up America before it is too late!!!