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The Spectacle Blog
Sens. John McCain and Mark Kirk both expressed concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood gaining power in Egypt, but offered widely divergent views about preventing that outcome.
Kirk argued that Egypt needed a new strong man, while McCain argued that the radical Islamic group would not gain power if free and fair elections were held.
“We’ve seen in past history very well organized fanatical organizations can hijack democracy, whether it be Lenin, or whether it be radical Islamic extremists in Iran,” McCain told me outside the Senate floor when asked about whether he was concerned that the Brotherhood could gain power. “They are an organization with ties to terrorist organizations. They support Sharia law, that alone should be reason not to have them as part of any democratic government. Sharia law is the most abhorrent treatment of women and perversion of the democratic ideals we stand for.”
Yet when I asked him whether the United States should recognize a government that included the Brotherhood, he insisted, “I think the United States should take every step to make sure there is a free and fair and open and transparent election, and that won’t happen.”
Earlier this evening, Kirk gave a long floor speech about the history of the Brotherhood, reading quotes showing that it’s current leadership still advocates Jihad.
“We ought to know their names, what they’ve written, and where they stand on the future of Egypt if they ever have power,” Kirk told me.
What he was worried about is that Egypt could follow other revolutions.
“The French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Iranian Revolution all had a plausible, acceptable, interim figure that was immediately then swept away,” he said. “And that’s my fear.”
In contrast to McCain, Kirk said that it was “Far better that the Gamal Abdel Nasser secular nationalist tradition be what comes to the fore in Egypt.”
Asked whether it would be a problem given that the Egyptian people were currently rising up against an oppressive ruler, he said, “Egypt is a tough place to govern, so it probably needs a strong but new hand.”
View all comments (22) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/02/02/mccain-says-free-and-fair-elec
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Dixie Pixie| 2.2.11 @ 8:24PM
At one time in the last election cycle, Shawn Hannity wondered how long John McCain would remain a Conservative.
Now we know as John McCain has reverted to type.
Dixie Pixie| 2.2.11 @ 9:16PM
If there was large scale movement protesting John McCain continuing to remain in office would McCain resign?
If so, then why did he not listen to the "American Street" and resign rather than leave it up to the Arizona voters.
Fair is fair, If John McCain can put his fate to a small biased slice of voters why not President Mubarak.
FREE tea| 2.2.11 @ 10:11PM
AGAIN, WHY is McCain, a man who FAILED to
respond to our own ever deteriorating NAFTA/NAU meltdown when it mattered.
being sought for sagely counsel?
---BIZ -nihilism and 'Free-Trade' (i.e. Globalist
oppurtunism with its not so hidden agendas
of TOTAL consolidation and control as a
prelude to VAST 'eugenist designs') ----AIN'T
Conservative anywhere on this planet.
Yosemeti Sam| 2.2.11 @ 10:14PM
" ... while McCain argued that the radical Islamic group would not gain power if free and fair elections were held...."
Um, during campaigning in 2008, senator McGoo hush hushed a strenuously anti-BHO audience noting the process of free and fair elections.
Um, well, we have had a RADICAL in the Peoples' White House for the past 2 years - and counting.
And it's just happenstance that his middle name is
Hussein?
Has senator McGoo ever been checked for Alzheimers?
Dixie Pixie| 2.2.11 @ 11:02PM
Greetings Sam
Love the handle.
I wish I had thought of it first!
There is no need to check McCain for Alzheimer disease.
John McCain is a true and faithful son of the Ruling Class, Naval Division.
He is also a devoted member of the "Washington Consensus".
He would never consider stating a position outside of the opinions of the Washington Ruling Class.
That is how he became a Presidential Candidate.
It is John McCain's addiction to Liberal Media attention that is driving his behavior.
He is no more mentally deranged than the other members of the Washington Ruling Class.
That is the true horror of the current crisis.
Yosemeti Sam| 2.2.11 @ 11:33PM
Greetings to you as well Dixie Pixie :)
Floyd Looney | 2.2.11 @ 10:35PM
One man, one vote, one time.
Congratulations America, you have made the Muslim Brotherhood into a legitimate political force. Whats next setting the Taliban back up into power in Afghanistan?
Dixie Pixie| 2.2.11 @ 11:26PM
Greetings Fellow Looney
You got it in one intellectual leap.
The next step is to rid the Middle East of the other Autocrats.
The various states of the Middle East can then be fused together to form one massive government.
Then the Wahhabi Saudi Caliphate can be established.
Muslim Doctrine is whoever holds Mecca is the legitimate government of Islam.
That is the Saudi plan in a nutshell.
The Washington Ruling Class has always preferred to deal with a single ruling body no matter how oppressive.
The larger and more oppressive the better, as sales volume and value is dependent on the size, homogeneous structure, and political strength of of a governmental entity.
It is all about money and Washington has a voracious hunger for money.
Bob K.| 2.3.11 @ 7:16AM
Ask McCain why "free" and "fair" elections in Arizona haven't stopped the influx of illegal aliens into the state he represents.
Bob K.| 2.3.11 @ 7:16AM
Ask McCain why "free" and "fair" elections in Arizona haven't stopped the influx of illegal aliens into the state he represents.
Michael L. Hauschild| 2.3.11 @ 10:02AM
“McCain says…...” Clueless. McCain had an entire campaign to “say” things, things he did not actually have to do or implement, simply promise. Even given that free pass nobody believed a thing he said. He was, is and forever will be a conniving for power liar; he will say anything, join or organize with his equally power seeking cohorts to usurp the democracy we cherish. RINOs will bring about the waste of another two years.
There are three factions in Egypt that mirror what is happening in a non-violent format here in the US; here we have the pro- democracy Tea Party, the pro-government progressives with socialism as their “religion” and we have the power brokers such as McCain that are the Mubarak’s (trust me. I will remain in power for just a little longer).
We do not have tanks in the street, or Molitov Cocktails breaking in the crows but the same debates and battles are being waged.
kingsmill| 2.3.11 @ 12:18PM
McCain showed his abilities in a political crisis when he called off his campaign in response to the Bush Treasury's demands for bailouts. He returned to Washington and sat dumbfounded at a meeting as Obama cleaned his clock. Shut up John!
Devasahayam| 2.3.11 @ 12:24PM
Unfortunately, McCain is not cognisant of the reality that Islam is quite incompatible with democracy--as if 1971/03/26 (which was AFAIK, within his lifetime) was not proof enough!
Too Many Tims| 2.3.11 @ 1:27PM
McCain knows a lot about bitter old men who cling to power. You guys should listen.
Quartermaster| 2.3.11 @ 5:51PM
Yeah, Tim. McCain is a bitter old man who is also a RINO. Since he are one, he surely knows a lot about being a bitter old man.
Clueless is one of the adjectives that applies to that mental midget.
mixplix| 12.1.11 @ 3:37AM
His views prove he was beaten senseless and I wonder at the wisdom of Arizona voters.
Michael K| 12.1.11 @ 9:27AM
Looks like despite the hard lessons the US is learning in Afghanistan and Iraq, McCain still clings to the Wilsonian Utopian idea that the rest of the world are just like Americans only waiting to be given the chance. My admiration for Sen. Kirk has just increased immensely. At least it appears he has actually read some history and perhaps even Burke.
dunce| 12.1.11 @ 10:32AM
McCain and obama have a lot in common in how often they are completely wrong .
bkirkwood| 12.1.11 @ 10:55AM
This article is a very useful illustration as to how our foreign policy gets so screwed up. McCain is off in the usual one-world gov. fantasy world in which anything he says 3 times is true. Kirk's pragmatic approach is more logical with the one little problem of assuming control of events that he nor anyone else possesses. You don't 'choose' a strong-man Mr. Kirk, the 'strong-man' makes choices. How's the Russian 'strong-man' Putin working for you? We need to concern ourselves far less with how other countries are run and concentrate on making sure that whoever is in charge 'over there' understands the bottom-line position of the U.S which should read: DON'T YOU DARE MESS WITH US! Stop spending billions on rag-head militaries and schools and start blowing up Iranian and Pakistani nuclear facilities which is what the entire 'War on Terror' should have been about in the first place.
Jeff| 12.1.11 @ 7:30PM
I keep going back and forth on whether McCain is evil, stupid or brainwashed. Today I'll say stupid.
stevefraser| 12.1.11 @ 8:16PM
He also said O was an America lover and a patriot. Any chance McCain is a pathetic, tragic man who was broken in a Communist re education camp.
Lightning Jack| 12.2.11 @ 1:04PM
John McCain and others like in him live in an enigmatic, Pollyanna world insulated from the consequences of their flawed governance, their worthless, freedom robbing-job killing legislation, and the tyranny they foist upon the American people.
It is they and a Congress who's approval ratings are in the single digits... who have enslaved America and its future generations by reckless deficit-entitlement spending, and the expansion of the welfare state.
I could care less what these incompetent charlatans think about Egypt, especially after they stabbed the Iranian Green Revolution, which was a true democracy movement , in the back.