The news about this story that’s making the headlines is that Egypt’s Mohammed Mursi has defied the Military’s dissolution of the Parliament and is reimplementing it.
However, there is something else that CNN reported almost as a backstory that should perhaps get far more attention.
Check out this report from CNN. The topic of conversation is that Mursi is overstepping his authority and that the people who wanted revolution are extremely concerned. Pay close attention at the 2:30 mark as CNN’s Ali Velshi brings up the fact that last year’s uprising was driven by the “youth”. Take note of the reporter’s response. The “youth” is basically absent and not participating in the government they helped put into power.
Again, because this excerpt from Andrew McCarthy’s book – The Grand Jihad – is often so salient, it applies again in this instance:
Revolutionaries of Islam and the Left make fast friends when there is a common enemy to besiege. Leftists, however are essentially nihilists who hazy vision prioritizes power over what is to be done with power. They are biddable. Islamists, who have very settled convictions about what is to be done with power, are much less so. Even their compromises keep their long-term goals in their sights. Thus do Leftists consistently overrate their ability to control Islamists. Factoring the common denominator, power, out of the equation, something always beats nothing.
The American left shouldn’t just take heed of what’s happening in Egypt; it should also take heed of McCarthy’s words.