Has foreign policy failed in the Middle East?

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Has foreign policy failed in the Middle East?

Florida Congressman Allen West weighs in

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," September 13, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And this is a Fox News alert, you are looking at live pictures out of Cairo, Egypt. Protesters have been clashing with police throughout day, as they try to get close to the walls of the U.S. embassy. We're going to continue tonight to bring you the very latest developments as they come in here at the Fox News Channel.

But first, a quick look at the events of this week demonstrate very clearly just how badly the president's approach to U.S. foreign policy has been, especially in the Middle East. Now, while he has been busy on the golf course over 100 times and out raising money and playing basketball and going on expensive vacations, the Muslim Brotherhood was able to rise to power in Egypt.

And by the time the president woke up, well, it was too late to do anything about it. So instead, he has decided to appease this radical organization with close ties to terrorism, by funneling billions of U.S. tax dollars into Cairo. And although he refuses to meet with the prime minister of Israel, officials from the Muslim Brotherhood have been welcomed to the White House in recent months.

But somehow, despite being a president who inexplicably took office with zero foreign policy experience, he has the nerve to look directly into the camera and say this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: My opponent and his running mate are -- new to foreign policy.

(CHEERS)

But from all that we have seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost America so dearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Well that carries a lot of wake coming from a guy who spent more time being a community organizer who during the 2008 campaign referred to Iran, Cuba, Venezuela as tiny countries; they are not a threat.

And joining us now, as we continue our coverage throughout the Middle East and their crisis, is Florida Congressman Allen West. Congressman, welcome back to the program. Thanks for being with us.

All right. Let me see if I understand this. We have the new president of Egypt referred to Israel as vampires. He has been part of a terror organization his entire adult life. The Muslim Brotherhood is calling for more protests and fomenting a lot of this today. The Muslim Brotherhood got to meet the president of the White House. They get $2 billion taxpayer dollars a year. Help me out here. Why would we give them a red cent?

REP. ALLEN WEST, R-FLA.: Well, Sean, it's very simple -- and it's great to be with you -- it is because we are operating in fantasy land. What you see coming from President Obama and the Obama administration is what they call dhimmitude in the Islamic world. When you look at the speech he gave at Turkey, when you look at his bow into the Saudi king and the interaction there, when you look at the speech that he gave at the University of Cairo, they see weakness, and as Governor Palin said, they see a policy of appeasement.

The Muslim Brotherhood has a plan for the United States of America and also North America. It is called the explanatory memorandum, it was uncovered in Northern Virginia during an FBI raid back in May of 1991. And it is very clear what their intent and their purpose is, also when you read their charter. This is a group that is very closely tied to terrorism and all of these subsidiary Islamic terrorist groups really have the Muslim Brotherhood as the grandfather organization which was establish back in the 1920s.

HANNITY: All right. Explain this, it seems to me, Congressman, Colonel, we are at a tipping point. Anti-American sentiment. Anti-American violence is growing. And we've got a president -- I don't even know -- I don't even think appeasement is the right word as much as he is weak. And the people in the Middle East, all they know is strength. And that strength needs to be backed up by a commitment to follow through.

WEST: Yes.

HANNITY: It seems this President just protects weakness and as a result, his outreach is resulting in what we see here. Am I wrong?

WEST: No, you are absolutely right. Being in that part, that neck of the woods for about 40 months in my military career, they only understand strength and might. When you recognize Ronald Reagan's three critical words, peace through strength. If you recall back during the Reagan administration, when he uncovered that Libya was behind the Germany disco bomb, disco attack that killed some American soldiers, he immediately went right after Moammar Qaddafi and shut him down. But you don't see that coming from this president.

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: Right. It seems like they are mocking us, daring the United States to act. So, what's President Obama -- does the American flag flying at these embassies around the world right now? I would like to know an answer to that. What does the president do? They're mocking us, they are provoking us to act, what does "President Appeaser" do here?

WEST: Well, I think, first of all, you have to understand that a sovereign piece of the United States was attacked. When you attack an embassy, that's just like attacking the homeland of the United States America, no different. And we also have an ambassador and several other Americans that were killed. So, this is a blatant attack. It has nothing to do with this silly Facebook video that came out six months ago. For us to try to use that as some type of bludgeoning tactic against ourselves, just furthermore emboldens them.

So, what we need to do is to have a very harsh, diplomatic stance first and foremost, to get our American citizens, get these embassies closed down. And we probably need to look at the representatives and diplomats from these countries and tell them to go home and figure out what they are going to do, as far as the relations that they are going to have with the United States of America and how they are going to control radical Islamism in their countries. It's very clear that they are taking the side of being enemies of this state. And we need to send that message. And furthermore, the conditions that we have in place for funding, we need to make sure those conditions stay. And we should not let up on those conditions and not provide another cent.

HANNITY: And I will point out, Congressman, that's 3:21 a.m. in the morning and it's still going and it's going on in other places around the world as well. But we appreciate you being with us.

WEST: Well, you have to be very concerned because Friday prayers are coming.

HANNITY: Absolutely.

WEST: -- and this is only going to intensify.

HANNITY: All right. Congressman, Colonel, it's good to see you.

WEST: Thanks.

HANNITY: Thanks for being with us.

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