Is Egypt an Ally?

After warning against shooting first and aiming later, President Obama is sending mixed messages on whether Egypt is an ally or not. Sounds like it’s time to start answering questions.

RNC Research: Obama “Shot First” And Now Mixing Messages On Egypt http://bit.ly/Peqyb5

FROM THE HEADLINES:
AP Fact Check: Obama Doesn’t Think Egypt Is An Ally
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fact-check-obama-doesnt-think-egypt-ally
This week’s storming of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo by an angry mob has sent U.S.-Egyptian relations to a new low, prompting President Barack Obama to say he doesn’t see the two countries as allies. But under U.S. law, they are.

Huffington Post: Obama Administration Clarifies Eyebrow-Raising Egypt Statement
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/13/obama-egypt-ally_n_1881524.html?1347561698
President Barack Obama’s statement in an interview Wednesday night that the Egyptian government was neither an ally nor an enemy to the U.S. turned heads. It was an unfiltered take on the state of relations between the two countries. And coming in the wake of riots at the U.S. embassy in Cairo — for which the Egyptian government took a notably long time to condemn –- it suggested a sense of strain or trepidation. On Thursday morning, the Obama administration sought to clarify the matter.

Weekly Standard: “State Dept: Egypt Is An Ally, Regardless Of What Obama Said”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/state-dept-egypt-ally-regardless-what-obama-said_652297.html
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland maintained that Egypt is an ally, regardless of what President Obama said: … Nuland’s statement comes after a President Obama first said Egypt is not an ally and later tried to backtrack.

BuzzFeed: “State Department: Egypt Is An Ally”
http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/state-department-egypt-is-an-all
The President said yesterday “I don’t think we would consider them an ally. But we don’t consider them an enemy. They are a new government that is trying to find it’s way.

Politico: State Dept: Egypt’s still an ally
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/09/state-dept-egypts-still-an-ally-135479.html
Watch Video. The State Department affirmed Egypt’s legal status as an ally Thursday — an apparent contradiction to what President Obama said in a Wednesday interview. Asked repeatedly if the State Department still considered Egypt a major non-NATO ally — a designation they were awarded in 1989 — State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said simply: “Yes.” President Obama, asked by Telemundo if he considered the Egypt to be an ally or an enemy said that they were neither. Instead, he called them a “new government that is trying to find its way.” The White House said immediately that there was no change in policy.

Foreign Policy: White House Clarifies Obama’s Statement That Egypt Is Not An Ally
http://bit.ly/QJ5x9L
That comment had Egypt watchers scratching their heads, especially since technically, Egypt was designated as a Major Non-NATO Ally in 1989 when Congress first passed the law creating that status, which gives them special privileges in cooperating with the United States, especially in the security and technology arenas.”