</s>Now, the world is waiting to see what happens next. Will there be a secular democracy or a Muslim Brotherhood regime that fills the vacuum with a radical Islamic theocracy like Iran? Egypt is an extremely important state in the Middle East. It has the largest Muslim population in the region and controls the vital Suez Canal region, which is essential for world trade. Egypt is the home to priceless artifacts and thousands of years of history. For three decades, there has been a tenuous peace with Israel which has helped keep the peace after two bloody wars.

Today, Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak resigned his position after vigorous street protests intensified. Yesterday Mubarak defied the protestors and promised to stay in power until elections in September. However, the intensity of the opposition was too much for the Egyptian ruler to withstand.

If Egypt falls into the hands of the radical Muslim Brotherhood, not only will Israel be threatened, but the entire region will be in danger. When the Shah of Iran was deposed, a radical Islamic regime took office. Thirty years later, there is no freedom in Iran and the dictator Mahmoud Almadinejad routinely calls for the destruction of the U.S. and Israel.

There is no doubt that Iran is building nuclear weapons and has visions of a greater Islamic caliphate. The danger is that such a situation will occur in Egypt as well. In the past few decades, Egypt has received billions in foreign aid and military equipment from the United States. If this equipment falls into the hands of radicals, it could be disastrous.

With so much at stake, it is not reassuring that amateurs are running the show at the Obama White House. Yesterday, CIA Director Leon Panetta erroneously announced that Mubarak would resign. The administration looked foolish as the CIA Director made a prediction that did not come true, at least initially. When Mubarak spoke to the nation and did not resign, the administration was confused and obviously disorganized. Although, he was driven from power today, the administration looked more than incompetent when the initial prediction did not come true.

Can the U.S. play a role in the transition? At the very least, we need to gather good intelligence. From the beginning of this crisis, the administration has been caught off guard. The President is being advised by supposed “experts” who are nothing more than youngsters with only ivory tower training. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is not a player in this entire tragedy, being pushed aside from forces in the White House.

There is also a worry that Obama will ally with the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical organization with ties to terrorist groups like Hamas and other front groups in this country. Yesterday, the Director of the National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood is a “largely secular organization.” Such a statement displays a shocking ignorance of the true threat of this radical Islamic group. Soon thereafter, a public affairs official from the DNI had to correct the erroneous statement.

These mistakes give us no confidence in the administration as it faces a major challenge. As the Obama administration purposely downplays the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood, the terrorist organization is making plans to take power in Egypt. Will we respond the right way? The recent track record of this administration gives us very little hope.



 

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 Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m.weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Cairo Criminal Court adds 2,833 Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters including ex-President Mohamed Morsi on an official list of terrorists for three years.