A Jan. 29 WorldNetDaily article by Aaron Klein asserts that “The Egyptian government suspects elements of the current uprising there, particularly political aspects, are being coordinated with the U.S. State Department.” But as is per usual for Klein, he cites no named source for this, only an anonymous “senior Egyptian diplomat.”
Klein typically hides behind anonymous sources when he attacks Obama on Middle East policy. In this case, he is suggesting without any credible evidence that Obama is deliberately helping the Muslim Brotherhood, a longtime right-wing smear.
Klein goes on to assert that Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei “is seen as an ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition force in Egypt”:
Last week, ElBaradei gave an interview to Der Spiegel defending the Brotherhood.
“We should stop demonizing the Muslim Brotherhood. … [They] have not committed any acts of violence in five decades. They too want change. If we want democracy and freedom, we have to include them instead of marginalizing them,” he said.
But Klein edited out statements by ElBaradei that contradict his assertion. From the full interview, with the statements Klein edited out in bold:
We should stop demonizing the Muslim Brotherhood. It is incorrect that our only choice is between oppression under Mubarak and the chaos of religious extremists. I have many differences with the Muslim Brotherhood. But they have not committed any acts of violence in five decades. They too want change. If we want democracy and freedom, we have to include them instead of marginalizing them.
In other words, ElBaradei’s full statement, and the entire interview, shows that he is recognizing the Muslim Brotherhood as a part of the political opposition that must inevitably be a part of the country’s post-Mubarak future. It’s irresponsible of Klein to deliberately hide information from his readersin order to falsely portray ElBaradei as something he’s not.
For good measure — and as further evidence of his anti-Obama pathology — Klein includes a factual error in order to attack Obama. Klein cited a 2008 incident in which the U.S. government allegedly “helped a young dissident attend a U.S.-sponsored summit for activists in New York” as further evidence of “the Obama administration’s alleged interference there.”
Of course, there wasn’t an Obama administration in 2008, at the time of the alleged incident. The UK Telegraph article he cites as evidence mentions only “the American embassy in Cairo” as helping the dissident and doesn’t mention Obama at all.