It is not at all clear that “those kids in Tahrir Square, they were not motivated by any religion or ideology,” or that the “revolution” got “stolen” by the Muslim Brotherhood. There were early signs that the Brotherhood was the driving force behind the anti-Mubarak protests.
However, this is further indication of Kerry’s distaste for the Muslim Brotherhood, which puts him at odds with Susan Rice and, of course, Barack Obama.
“Kerry: Egyptian revolution ‘stolen’ by Muslim Brotherhood,” by Catherine Chomiak for NBC News, November 20 (thanks to Bradamante):
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the Egyptian revolution was “stolen” from the youth who started it by the Muslim Brotherhood.”Those kids in Tahrir Square, they were not motivated by any religion or ideology,” Kerry told an international security forum at the State Department on Wednesday.
“They were motivated by what they saw through this interconnected world and they wanted a piece of the opportunity and a chance to get an education and have a job and have a future. And not have a corrupt government that deprived them of all of that and more…. That’s what drove that revolution and then it got stolen. By the one single most organized entity in the state, which was the Brotherhood.”
The Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi, elected to the presidency in June 2012, had filled a power vacuum left by the “Arab Spring” revolt that brought down longtime Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
It is not the first time Kerry has been critical of the Brotherhood and its actions in Egypt. In September, Kerry said the Egyptian military had been “restoring democracy” when it arrested Morsi this summer to quell worsening violence….
Kerry also said Wednesday that the greatest threat to America is not a “rising rival,” but the “risks that would arise in the world where American leadership ceases to be a driving force.”…
Hmmm, and who might be responsible for that?