Dan Rather on CNN: Obama Inspired Protests in Egypt
On Monday's Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN, disgraced former CBS anchor Dan Rather attributed the current protests in Egypt to President Obama's June 2009 speech to the Muslim world in Cairo: "He [Obama] fueled this uprising in Egypt. When he came to Cairo, let us remember, and he spoke of- listen, we stand for freedom and democracy and listening to people. The Egyptians believed his rhetoric" [audio available here].
Host Piers Morgan's segment with Rather aired 36 minutes into the 9 pm Eastern hour. He devoted the entire interview to the Egyptian issue. Near the end of the segment, the CNN personality asked, "If you were President Obama right now, what would you now say?" The former CBS Evening News anchor began by voicing his sympathy for the President: "I'm glad I'm not because it's a real dilemma." He then placed himself in the Democrat's shoes: "I would quietly send word to Mubarak that his days are finished, that we will do our best by him. We appreciate what he's done, but events have moved past him. I would do that quietly. I wouldn't say that publicly."
[Video embedded below the page break]
Rather continued with his theory about Obama's Cairo speech:
RATHER: Speaking of President Obama- you know, in a way, he fueled this uprising in Egypt. When he came to Cairo, let us remember, and he spoke of- listen, we stand for freedom and democracy and listening to people. The Egyptians believed his rhetoric. The actions since then have not matched that.
Morgan followed-up by noting one international critique of the American president: "Well, there are many in Israel, apparently- in the media- now saying that President Obama will go down as the president who lost Egypt, which is a pretty damning thing to be saying, from a country that's been protected, in many ways, by keeping Mubarak there."
The journalist replied with further advice for Obama:
RATHER: Well, that would be a devastating commentary on this administration, but we haven't seen the last card- not by a long shot have we seen that. But I would think that President Obama would want to do a number of things. First of all, assess U.S. intelligence. Our intelligence and diplomatic core is top-heavy. It talks to the wealthy people in every country. It talks to the business people. It talks to the military people. We don't seem to be able to get the intelligence from the bottom-up- from the ground-up- and part of what's fueled this in Egypt are these day-to-day humiliations and insults, particularly with young people- police who want to bribe and kick over a fruit stand- that kind of thing. The cumulative effect of that leads to this kind of business. Now, in the case of Tiananmen Square, which I mentioned earlier, and the government eventually was willing to turn the guns on its own people, I would be very surprised if that happens in Egypt. But if I were President Obama- who am I to give him advice- but you asked-
MORGAN: You know something? I wouldn't like to be him right now either. It is a very difficult situation. Dan, thank you very much for your time.
RATHER: Thank you, Piers. Thank you very much.
On the September 12, 2010 edition of The Chris Matthews Show, Rather saw the President's name as profitable to U.S. relations with the Muslim world: "On balance, and in the main, it's still a net plus in terms of the country's reputation."
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Comments
I'm gonna puke
Submitted by sam12663 on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:00pm.
RATHER: Speaking of President Obama, in a way, he fueled this uprising in Egypt. When he came to Cairo, let us remember, and he spoke of- listen, we stand for freedom and democracy and listening to people. The Egyptians believed his rhetoric. The actions since then have not matched that.
Yea, it only took them 20 friggin months to get around to actually acting on it!
Some inspirational speech that was. The level at which the liberal media will go to put this inept buffoon in a good light has reached a new low.
New low
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:06pm.
The level at which the liberal media will go to put this inept buffoon in a good light has reached a new low.
Must be those darn CFLs that keep burning out.
-Jon
Right...And never mind the fact too that...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:13pm.
Mubarak has been in power for 30 years, and it took a speech by the Obamessiah to motivate the Egyptian people to rebell...Just think...All this time, they've been waiting for "The One" to inspire them...
My gawd.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
"We are the ones we've been
Submitted by Diesel on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 7:57pm.
"We are the ones we've been waiting for"
I wish the "all powerful, all knowing" 0bamessiah would make a Cairo-like speech about job creation.
→ Ain't that the truth
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 8:03pm.
All he had to do was apologize to the Muslim world and they're ready to chop heads everywhere.
Right...Sure...
Submitted by PrairieSky on Wed, 02/02/2011 - 1:04am.
More like, "I am the one you've been waiting for..."
We all know that's what Obama was really thinking, don't we??
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan
Rather is wrong
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:25pm.
It isn't the Cairo speech that inspired the demonstrators. It was the State of the Union address.
Egyptians gathered around TVs and radios to listen to his magic words, which contained an encrypted message of support to them.
The SOTU got them going!
Yep
Submitted by donabernathy on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:00pm.
It wouldn't be American Boys Die'n in Iraq to bring them freedom.... Huh Dan?
roflmao
"What's the frequency, Kenneth?"
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:26pm.
Rather is still haunted by his own brush with insanity.
don't mess with Dan
Submitted by Agnostic on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:04pm.
give a few minutes and he can come up absolute written proof that what he says is true. Or at least true even if the proof isn't.
come to think of it
Submitted by sam12663 on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:04pm.
Obama also fueled the American uprising we see today with the Tea Party. Maybe he is an inspirational leader after all.
shaping the world in his image...
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:10pm.
So..... obama believes in freedom and democracy for Egyptians but not the Iranians who's uprising he ignored?
Of course he saw no need for a change of government in Iran because they were already anti-American.
I think it's time for the House to investigate Obama's ties...
Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:12pm.
...to the Camel-Washer Brotherhood.
I have seen too many reports suggesting his collusion with them to ignore.
We need to know the extent of the Obama administration's role in actively seeking to overthrow the president of a U.S. ally.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Maybe Disgraced Dan
Submitted by The_Barrel_Guy on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:14pm.
will get out his word processor and run up a copy of a Hawaii birth certificate...
Matthew, you have my sympathies...
Submitted by The_Barrel_Guy on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:18pm.
We need to work up some form of medal for intrepidy in the face of stupid enemies for our stalwart NB staffers...
There ain't no amount of money that would make me watch that stuff day after day...
Just take a good look to the names to the right of this post for our list of heros
How quickly the MSM dismisses the influence of . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:33pm.
. . . actor and pharmacuetical-enthusiast Charlie Sheen, and his miraculous hold over Egyptian public opinion. Is Sheen's hospitalization and Egypt's wild-in-the-streets merely coincidence?
Hey, does anyone happen to have the toll free phone number for the Illuminati?
BR-549 -- Junior's Waiting For Your Call
Submitted by stratman on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 9:04pm.
In Clintonian fashion, the Egyptians feeel Sheen's pain.
I doubt it
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:30pm.
So since Obama caused this, when Egypt becomes a muslim hellhole Obama will take the blame? And doesn't Egypt, where the slave industry started, make blood money by using the ancient works of slaves as tourist traps?
I appears that Obama is now responsible . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:35pm.
. . . for the deaths of over one hundred Egyptians and the desecretion/theft of 2,000 year-old mummies.
Can we bring Rosie O'Donnell and Joy Behar in on this conversation?
The Cairo Speech and inconvenient words
Submitted by metaphorsbwithu on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 6:49pm.
I remember noting after his Cairo speech that Obama used the word "freedom" only THREE times. Once in reference to the "freedom" to practice ones religion, and twice in assuring Muslims that America would never "impose" its own version of "freedom" on the rest of the world. Dan Rather might want to actually look that up.
The cover up of Obama's
Submitted by dscott on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 7:11pm.
The cover up of Obama's misconduct has begun. What they don't want you to know is that Obama met with the Muslim Brotherhood in 2009 and was fully apprised of their plans to overthrow the government of Egypt. The State Department knew it, Hillary Clinton knew it and Obama knew it and ALL 3 did nothing to warn the Egyptians. No wonder Obama wasn't happy about Wikileaks...
The riots were indeed Obama's fault not because of his public speaking skills, but because of his lending of support to the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organization responsible for numerous assassinations of Egyptian officials including Anwar Sadat and murder of many foreign tourists visiting Egypt.
Barack Obama, the Backstabbing Opportunist, the double dealing weasel. Even Qaddafi and Chavez are stunned as to the duplicity of Obama against an ally. When you can shock the likes of these two people, then we can confidently say Obama really put his foot in it this time.
BTW- even though the State Department first learned of the plot in December 31, 2008, (technically under the Bush Administration) such information in the final days (last 22 days) of any Administration is left for the new one to deal with.
That would be a reason why
Submitted by stratman on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 9:14pm.
That would be a reason why not a single protester/rioter has credited Obama as their impetus (or is that impotus?) to my knowledge. Wouldn't want to rat out the new child-king TutankhamunObama.
Just like these clowns
Submitted by Boudin on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 9:26pm.
To overthrow a US friendly Ally, and turn them into another Evil empire. Bet they will want nukes too!
I'm thinking Danny-boy is on (to) something.
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 7:49pm.
Look at all the turmoil and political unrest Maobama has stirred in this country.
Idiocy.
Submitted by Tenebrous on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 10:48pm.
It is laughable how idiotic Dan Rather is and how juvenile the mass media is, in their inability to analyze anything with any sort of objectivity. Obama's speech could not have inspired people seeking freedom to overthrow Mubarak. There is NO content to inspire such actions. However, the link to Publius' forum is dead on. Obama is mixed up in it, for certain, and so is the worldwide drought plus the devaluing of the dollar (making food more expensive not only here -- you've noticed, right?) -- but everywhere else as well.
Visions and Principles blog
Little Barry has no business
Submitted by malthus on Wed, 02/02/2011 - 12:36am.
Little Barry has no business telling Mubarak to do anything. He also has no business negotiating with terrorists.
Impeach Prosecute Imprison