Erin Burnett to Laura Bush: Should We Accept Arab Anti-Semitism, Anti-Americanism in Order to Effect Change in Middle East?

In an interview with Laura Bush last night, CNN’s Erin Burnett cited the case of Samira Ibrahim, an Egyptian activist and would-be recipient of the State Department’s Women of Courage Award. The State Department postponed the conferral of the honor to Ibrahim after The Weekly Standard exposed her history of anti-Semitic and anti-American tweets, which include a description of Saudi Arabia’s ruling Saud family as “dirtier than the Jews” and — in a tweet that was quickly deleted after posting — an expressed desire, on the anniversary of 9/11, that “every year come with America burning.”

The incident prompted Erin Burnett to ask Laura Bush, a longtime advocate for women’s rights in the Middle East, whether America must support “people that do those things” in order to effect change in the region. “Is that a trade-off we have to make?” Burnett asked.

Bush’s response was firm: “No, I don’t think so.”