Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt\u2019s military \u2014 even as Cairo\u2019s security forces massacre anti-government activists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that those who voted in Congress are going to have to live with,\u201d Paul told The Cable on Thursday. \u201cThe question is: How does their conscience feel now as they see photographs of tanks rolling over Egyptian civilians?\u201d<\/p>\n
As the official Egyptian death toll climbs to 638, the legislation the Kentucky libertarian is referring to was an amendment to suspend aid to Egypt until the country holds free and fair elections. Two weeks ago, Republicans and Democrats rejected it by an overwhelming 86-13 vote \u2014 and top lawmakers in both parties protested it loudly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis amendment may be good politics, but it is bad policy,\u201d Sen. Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be a terrific mistake for the United States to send a message to Egypt: you\u2019re on your own,\u201d Republican Senator John McCain added back then. \u201cI urge my colleagues to vote to table the Paul amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vote has already come back to haunt some lawmakers, such as McCain, who is now advocating a cancellation of aid to Egypt and criticizing White House policies as a \u201ccolossal failure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCongress is way out of touch on this issue,\u201d said Paul. \u201cThese people who believe in projecting American power, really believe in projecting American weakness. They don\u2019t want us to respond to words with actions or obey our own laws.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier today, President Obama announced the cancellation of a joint U.S. military exercise with Egypt, but did not cut off the $1.3 billion in military aid the U.S. provides to the country. \u201cWhile we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back,\u201d Obama said.<\/p>\n
Paul called the decision a cop out. \u201cToo little too late,\u201d he said. \u201cIf he wants to send a message to the military, tell them they\u2019re not getting anymore planes. Tell them they\u2019re not getting any more tanks.\u201d<\/p>\n