The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler gave Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) three Pinocchios for his tweets stating neoconservatives want to keep sending aid to Egypt, saying Paul either does not understand neoconservatism or was deliberately misusing the term.
In Egypt, governments come and go. The only thing certain is that American taxpayers will continue to be stuck with the $1.5 billion bill.
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) July 8, 2013
In Egypt, democratic authoritarianism is replaced with military junta. American neocons say send them more of your money.
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) July 8, 2013
Rather, Kessler wrote, while the label is often applied incorrectly, several prominent neoconservatives have called for a halt to Egyptian aid during the current unrest, saying it's the most effective way to encourage the country to return as soon as possible to an elected civilian government:
Okay, so who are some real neoconservatives? Jacob Heilbrunn’s 2009 book, "They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons," provides a list on page 108. It includes figures such as William Kristol, Francis Fukuyama, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Elliott Abrams, John Podhoretz and Robert Kagan.
Not everyone on this list has taken a position on aid to Egypt, but of those who have — they want it halted. Abrams and Kagan, for instance, signed a declaration issued by the nonpartisan Working Group on Egypt on July 8. This is its first point:
The Obama administration should apply the law that requires suspending $1.5 billion in military and economic aid to Egypt following the removal of a democratically-elected leader by coup or military decree. Not only is this clearly required under U.S. law, but is the best way to make clear immediately to Egypt’s military that an expedient return to a legitimate, elected civilian government—avoiding the repression, widespread rights abuses, and political exclusion that characterized the 18 months of military rule after Mubarak’s fall—is Egypt’s only hope.
This is not a new position taken by this group. In 2012, the Working Group on Egypt also urged then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to withhold $1.3 billion in military aid from Egypt "until Egyptian military authorities reverse their recent actions and demonstrate their commitment to the democratic process and to permitting human rights groups to conduct their activities without harassment or interference."
Paul's claim was thus hit with Three Pinocchios, indicating serious factual error:
Paul either does not understand the term "neoconservative" or is deliberately misusing it. In any case, he has it backward. Some of the most prominent "neocons" are asking for aid to be halted — and people who are certainly not neoconservative are wary of cutting aid.