• tactics Obama’s people have tended to be harsher about Egypt in private than in public, a change from the more critical Bush years.
• blogs While the Egyptian government claims they don’t block free speech, they may be forced to act when “people are offended by blogs.”
• torture Diplomats noted one case where a number of detainees were both shocked and deprived of sleep, making them zombie-like. source

• » Obama’s not-very-harsh words: It’s clear that Obama’s comments on Egypt, made during a YouTube town-hall style thingy, try to tow that public/private line noted above. “I’ve always said to him that making sure that they are moving forward on reform – political reform, economic reform – is absolutely critical to the long-term well-being of Egypt,” Obama said. “And you can see these pent-up frustrations that are being displayed on the streets.” Dear Obama administration: There’s a point where a chummy relationship doesn’t work anymore.

Posted by Ernie Smith • Permalink