Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

Notice what's missing from the American sound bites?

And let's be perfectly clear about this point. The Americans are the top
professionals when it comes to developing packages of sound bites that
describe American policy. Take a string of words from remarks by President
Obama, Mrs. Clinton or others on the American team and "Google" them and you
find that they appear repeatedly in different presentations. And that's a
good thing. Because it allows them to develop clear and consistent
messages.

Now let's consider what string of words is terrifyingly absent from the
American sound bites relating to developments in Egypt?

Here is a hint: The #1 American sound bite for Israeli - Palestinian
relations includes "side by side in peace".

That's right.

Now while the Americans have certainly suggested that Israel should race to
cut a deal with the Palestinians - and perhaps even the Syrians - in light
of developments in Egypt, they haven't said a word regarding their
expectations/desires as to how a future Egyptian regime relates to Israel.

Mrs. Clinton even talks about the participation of the Moslem Brotherhood in
at neutral-positive way.

She refers several times to what the United States "expects".

But all these "expectations" relate to the Egyptian domestic scene.

Taken to an extreme, there is nothing in Mrs. Clinton's remarks that
indicates that America would have a problem with a democratically elected
Egyptian regimes using its advanced American weapons to destroy Israel.

"Do we do business with, do we have relations with, do we support
governments over the past 50 years that we do not always see eye-to-eye
with? Of course," Clinton said. "That's the world in which we live."

"But our messages are consistent about what we think is in the best interest
of the United States, which is to have more democracy, more openness, more
participation. And that is a consistent principle. We then have to deal with
what comes of that."

Gulp.

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["We deeply respect the many years of service that Frank Wisner(who told the
security conference in Munich that Mubarak's role is utterly critical in
this transition process) has provided to our country," she said. "But he
does not speak for the American government."]

Clinton Sticks To U.S. Principles On Egyptian Reform
by NPR Staff

February 6, 2011

Listen to the Story
Weekend Edition Sunday
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/06/133538942/Clinton-Considers-Reform-In-Egypt

February 6, 2011 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with U.S. allies at
a security conference in Munich this weekend. She sat down early Sunday to
talk with NPR's Michelle Keleman about how she sees events unfolding in
Egypt.

As the political crisis in Egypt goes on, and President Hosni Mubarak
remains in power, the United States and other western governments are
calling for reforms that will set the country on a new path.

Clinton said she supports the reform process Egyptian Vice President, former
intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, is pursuing.

"I think the Egyptian people are looking for an orderly transition that can
lead to free and fair elections," Clinton said. "That's what the United
States has consistently supported. The people themselves and the leaders of
various groups within Egyptian society will ultimately determine whether it
is or is not meeting their needs.

"Today we learned the Muslim Brotherhood has decided to participate, which
suggests that they are now involved in the dialogue that we have encouraged.
We're going to wait and see how this develops, but we've been very clear
about what we expect."

Yet some Egyptian protesters are unsatisfied with Suleiman, claiming he is
simply an extension of Mubarak's rule and intends to keep old structures in
place. Clinton said she is receiving assurances from Suleiman himself that
things will be done differently.

"We have had numerous conversations with him and others," she said. "Both
[Vice President Biden] and I have spoken with him in the last several days,
and when we press on concrete steps and timelines, we are given assurance
that that will happen."

But ultimately it is not the U.S. that is making any decisions, she pointed
out. "It's the people of Egypt who are the arbiters. And a number of voices
are now being heard." There must be some kind of a process as events
develop, she says, "and we support that."

What About Mubarak?

While the U.S. intends to send a clear message about its principles, whether
Mubarak stays or goes is up to the Egyptian people, Clinton said.

"I want to make very clear that we have set forth the principles that we
support," she said.

"We are adamant about no violence and have consistently reached out to the
army and the government to reinforce that message. We want to see peaceful
protests, that are, so far anyway, embodying the aspirations that are, in
our view, very legitimate. And we want to see an orderly, expeditious
transition."

But the Obama administration did send a former ambassador, Frank Wisner, to
Cairo, to quietly tell Mubarak that it's time to go. Then on Saturday night,
Wisner told the security conference in Munich that Mubarak's role is utterly
critical in this transition process, making it seem the U.S. had accepted
that Mubarak might not be leaving the scene anytime soon. Clinton was quick
to distance the administration from Wisner's comments.

"We deeply respect the many years of service that Frank Wisner has provided
to our country," she said. "But he does not speak for the American
government."

"He does not reflect our policies, and we have been very clear from the
beginning that we wanted to see an orderly transition." How that transition
proceeds, she underlined, is in Egypt's hands.

"There's a debate within Egypt itself — and not just in the government, but
among the people of Egypt — as to how best to ensure that," Clinton said.

How U.S. Support In The Arab World May Change

Some Arab governments are more concerned about events in Egypt than others,
"but the foundations are sinking into the sand," Clinton said.

As for reassuring those nations of American support, Clinton said the U.S.
is sending the same principled message.

"These governments, these leaders have to recognize that they must respond
to the legitimate needs for economic and political reform that the people
have — particularly young people, who represent one-half to two-thirds of
the population in many of these countries."

Over the years, the U.S. has relied on autocratic governments in the Middle
East to support policies that have been unpopular in the region. Regardless
of how the protests in Egypt play out, analysts say Middle Eastern leaders
will have to listen to their public more than in the past. That could
present new problems for American influence in the region, but Clinton is
pragmatic.

"We want to play a constructive role in helping countries move in the
direction of more openness, and more democracy and participation and market
access, and the things that we stand for," she said.

"Do we do business with, do we have relations with, do we support
governments over the past 50 years that we do not always see eye-to-eye
with? Of course," Clinton said. "That's the world in which we live."

"But our messages are consistent about what we think is in the best interest
of the United States, which is to have more democracy, more openness, more
participation. And that is a consistent principle. We then have to deal with
what comes of that."