President Barack Obama said today he's told Egypt that the U.S. will cancel a bi-annual joint military exercise that had been scheduled for September — in response to a lethal crackdown by the Egyptian military.
"While we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation can not continue as usual when civilains are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back," Obama said, speaking from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard.
He didn't outright mention the $1.3 billion in military aid that the U.S. provides the Egyptian government, but said that he's asked his national security team to "assess the implications of the actions taken by the interim government" and "further steps the US might take as necessary with respect to the US-Egyptian relationship."
Lesley Clark
McClatchy Washington Bureau