Egypt rips Rice's constitution comments

[cal04]

Source: AP Diplomatic Writer

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was strongly criticized by the foreign minister Saturday for suggesting that proposed changes to Egypt's constitution may be less than democratic.

Rice is holding talks with Arab foreign ministers over the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. She hopes to rally wider Arab support for the stalled effort to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians and to encourage flexibility from Arab nations that have not made peace with Israel.

But her visit also coincides with a political storm in Egypt over planned constitutional amendments that the Egyptian opposition has denounced as a blow to democracy in this close U.S. ally.

The government hastily scheduled a referendum on the amendments for Monday. The opposition has said it will boycott.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070324/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_mideast

[Democrat 4 Ever]

1. Every time Rice opens her mouth it is just to change feet.

Has there ever been a more tactless, clueless "moran" as Secretary of State? Honestly?

Maybe Egypt is wrong but I don't think we would take too kindly to Nazif telling us what needs to be contained in our Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc.

I can only imagine the guffaws among heads-of-state at her expense every time she leaves a room.

How many days until January 20, 2009? All I know is too damn many.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. Bolton? no, I am wrong. He is a close second.

no one shines like our prada queen.

[NYC]

14. 666 days to go. I kid you not.

666 days, 2 hours, 25 minutes.

http://nationalnightmare.com/

Scary, isn't it?

[madrchsod]

2. we can only lead by example

and this whitehouse has failed

[rodeodance]

3. yes, but we have to continue to try---sending another person ? who would

help the situation

[youngdem]

5. The unmitigated gall of this bitch to tell anyone about Constitutional issues is fucking laughable!!

[Supersedeas]

Her sense of history of reached historical 'richness'

[Supersedeas]

8. Her sense of history of reached historical 'richness'

[Alexander]

6. Both Egypt and Dr. Rice are wrong, and right.

If Bush had the powers that Mubarak has in Egypt, he would be a happy man.

Then again, Dr. Rice is a scumbag. So I guess I just have to disagree with all sides on this one.

[Malva Zebrina]

7. She looks stupider by the day

and further, looks like she is in over her head. She is complicit in all the Bush crimes and now proceeds to tell other countries, and Egypt is not the first, she wagged her little piano finger at, to tell them they do not have the "right" democracy or the "right" government.

Dear Ms. Rice--please, your husb... is a crook and a liar and you have no character, no soul at all and say that you will go back to Stanford to teach and then write a book--hope you make lots of money off the book, and that will make it all OK, right? Take a bath in your money

Bwahahna, they flirt with her, she is flattered, thinks she has gained something by flirting and smiling and waving for photo ops, and then they go back to their chambers and laugh their heads off at this bimbo with a PhD who does nothing but parrot a failed administration.

[sasquatch]

9. What are the constitutional changes they're speaking of making in Egypt?

:shrug:

[onager]

10. Well, I'm in Egypt...

...and have been for nearly 2 years. While I certainly don't know all the details, here are the most controversial changes I've read about in the local press. I'm sure a Google will give you a lot more:

1. A ban on religion-based political parties. (Maybe Rice doesn't agree with that one, since she takes her orders from Jesus H. Bush.)

That ban is aimed at the Muslim Brotherhood, a/k/a "Al Queda version 1.0." The Muslim Brotherhood is already banned as a political party in Egypt. The media always use the curious phrase "banned but tolerated."

In the 2005 elections, the Brotherhood won 88 seats in the Egyptian Parliament. That was a wake-up call. So how did a banned party get that many seats? Their candidates ran as Independents. And judging by the press reports, they won their seats the good old-fashioned way: with vote-buying, ballot-box-stuffing, and a lot of intimidation. Especially intimidation of women voters, naturally.

The Muslim Brotherhood is desperately trying to pull sheepskin over its fur and fangs, with lots of soothing talk about "tolerance" and the like. Unfortunately, not long after the election, the Brotherhood's Supreme Guide slipped during a press conference and denied that the Holocaust ever happened. Whoops!

All the happy talk from the M.B. isn't fooling anybody. Under their snappy and expensive Western suits they are hardline Islamic theocrats, and everyone over here knows it. As they have been since their founding in 1928.

2. The other controversial constitutional change is one Rice should love. Egypt is basically passing its own version of the Patriot Act. It will allow the Egyptian President to refer terrorism cases to any court, while maintaining judicial oversight.

[sasquatch]

12. Well the first one I can understand but the last one I can have problems with

[sutz12]

11. Well, she is kind of an expert on actions that end "democracy."

:evilgrin:

[Eugene]

13. Rice tones down criticism of Egypt over reforms

Source: Reuters

Rice tones down criticism of Egypt over reforms

By Arshad Mohammed and Alaa Shahine
Reuters
Sunday, March 25, 2007; 8:27 AM

ASWAN, Egypt (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
on Sunday toned down criticism of planned amendments to Egypt's
constitution that rights groups have called a step backward for
freedom and democracy.

Rice, in Egypt as part of a Middle East tour on the eve of a
nationwide referendum on the amendments, said she had broached
the issue with President Hosni Mubarak but recognized that political
change would have "ups and downs."

"We have had a discussion. I have made my concerns known as well
as my hopes for continued reform here in Egypt," Rice told a news
conference after meeting with Mubarak.

-snip-

Egypt bills the constitutional amendments as reforms, but both
secular and Islamist opponents see them as an attempt to entrench
the ruling party's grip on power and have widely predicted that
Monday's ballot would be rigged in advance.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/25/AR2007032500362.html