Useful Idiots

Credulity and Incompetence

Secular democratic nations always struggle to deal with states controlled by an ideology which has a long term perspective. Democratic nations generally cannot think beyond the next poll and the tactics and the respective positions taken by political parties. They make the perilous mistake of thinking that all other nations are in their image.

When faced with an international protagonist which has violent world-domination in mind, and a long term timeframe to accomplish it, modern secular democracies tend to flounder. The remarks by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama congratulating and celebrating the alleged role of the Egyptian President in negotiating a cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel are a classic illustration of the idiocy to which most western democratic leaders are prone. But their long term opponents are willing to concede that such idiots have their use for a time.

Consider, for example, the worlds of Mohammed Badi, the head of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood to which the Egyptian president, Morsi owes his allegiance.  This from The Blaze:

Honest Broker? Muslim Brotherhood Chief Calls for Jihad on Israel Just One Day after Egypt’s President Mediated Ceasefire

The ink on the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement ending the Israel-Hamas fighting was barely dry Thursday, when the head of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Badi launched a verbal tirade on Israel, calling for holy jihad and denouncing peacemaking efforts. The Associated Press reports from Cairo:

The top leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood denounced peace efforts with Israel and urged holy war to liberate Palestinian territories on Thursday — one day after the country’s president, who hails from the movement, mediated a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians to end eight days of fierce fighting. “The enemy knows nothing but the language of force,” said Mohammed Badei. “Be aware of the game of grand deception with which they depict peace accords,” he said in a statement carried on the group’s website and emailed to reporters. 

Keep in mind: This is just one day after President Barack Obama praised Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi for his role in mediating the agreement. President Morsi, who also hails from the Muslim Brotherhood movement, on Wednesday was thanked by President Obama for “for his efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and for his personal leadership in negotiating a ceasefire proposal.” A White House statement further noted that during his phone call with the Egyptian president, “President Obama reaffirmed the close partnership between the United States and Egypt, and welcomed President Morsi’s commitment to regional security.” At her Wednesday press conference with the Egyptian foreign minister announcing the ceasefire, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also celebrated the Egyptian role:

I want to thank President Morsi for his personal leadership to de-escalate the situation in Gaza and end the violence […] Egypt’s new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone of regional stability and peace.

Badi declared that “jihad is obligatory” for Muslims, though taking up arms would be the “last stage,” according to the AP’s translation.  He said: “The use of force and arms while the group is fragmented and disconnected, unorganized, weak in conviction, with faint faith — this will be destined for death.”  He called on Muslims to “back your brothers in Palestine. Supply them with what they need, seek victory for them in all international arenas.”

AP notes that Badi’s title is “General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood,” which “implies a leadership role in the Islamist group’s sister movements across the world.” One of those groups is Hamas which, along with other terror groups in Gaza, rained 1,506 rockets and missiles on Israel this past week, according to Israel Defense Forces figures.

The Muslim Brotherhood still does not officially recognize Israel, senior Egyptian government representatives have yet to meet with Israeli officials, and it is unclear whether President Morsi will continue to abide by his country’s commitments to the 1979 Camp David peace treaty with Israel.

Whom do you think more believable and credible when it comes to describing the future of Islam and Israel--Obama/Clinton or Badi?  Can you spot the "useful idiot" in the picture?