our son of a bitch

Obama urged Mubarak to just go
Egyptians long for freedom, same as us.
But Clinton feared to lay a strongman low
and threw Mohammed Morsi 'neath the bus.
el-Sisi butchers Muslims in the square,
but Saudis back him as a force for good
as if barbarity were somehow fair
when they're confronted with the Brotherhood.
A Clinton never fails to compromise
when wealthy donors want to bend a rule;
Riyadh's not challenged on its grossest lies
when policy's enacted by their tool.
Our empty hymns to Liberty fall flat
when we embrace convenient autocrats.

counter-coup injury

"the people will be served" Obama said
when Egypt dragged Mubarak from his throne
but Saudis balked, and hopes were trampled, dead
as they installed a puppet of their own
the ArabSpring aspired to so much more
and Morsi tried to do the People's work
but he was booted out by Riyadh's whore
el-Sisi's quite the autocratic jerk
convenient strongmen run the trains on time
while bread and circus keeps the mobs amused
would it be petty to nickel and dime
our allies for each journalist abused?
Obama's legacy's just mortal-sized
too slim to justify that Nobel Prize

exceptionalism

el-Sisi's a convenient autocrat
compliant to his Saudi masters' will
a half-domestic military cat
who butchers whom his patrons bid him kill
democracy was nipped off in the bud
for fear their Arab brothers would grow bold
he washed the streets of Cairo down in blood
and hopes the opposition parties fold
hope springs eternal in the human breast
and people everywhere want what we've got
we condescend to tell them what is best
but crush them if they would improve their lot
'til we treat Arabs like they're people, too
no neighborhood is safe to be a Jew