Connecticut lawmakers have been mostly mum about the tumultuous political situation in Egypt.
So far, only Rep. Chris Murphy, a newly appointed member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and an aspiring Senator, has released a statement about the growing calls by Egyptians for greater economic and political freedoms.
Murphy was careful to keep it pretty tame-in other words, he didn’t join others in urging Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign. That’s a touchy subject at the White House, which is walking a diplomatic tightrope in dealing with this key Middle East ally.
But Murphy did signal where his allegiances lie. “As Egypt bravely navigates a transition to democracy, the United States should be on the side of the Egyptian people,” his statement said. “For too long, we have been given a false choice between stability and freedom in the Arab world. Governments that respect human rights and give their people a voice in government are inherently more stable in the long.”
Sen. Joe Lieberman, who has the most foreign policy bona fides in the delegation, also steered clear of that question. But he said the U.S. should not threatened to strip aid to Egypt as a way to usher in political change.