I'm ready to support this despite the certain and nasty problems with it because I feel that, soon, Mubarak will put down the protests by any means necessary if they don't throw him off that palace balcony first. Sad day for Egyptians yesterday. WTF is the army doing? It's so strange. A guest on NPR this morning (I forget the name) postulated that the army's rationale was that they expected Mubarak to step down, but when he did not, they opted for the path of least resistance which is to support the gradual transition leading up to September. The guest referred to the army as acting like Mubarak was a "father figure" speaking to his "children". EDIT: What an image:
I just heard on the news that Mubarak has left Cairo but probably not Egypt. Wondering if he is feeling the heat and is worried about a storming of the palace?
Mubarak Reportedly Leaves Cairo Western diplomats said that officials of the Egyptian government were scrambling to assure the public that Mr. Mubarak had flubbed his lines, and that his muddled speech had in fact signaled his irrevocable hand over of presidential authority. “The government of Egypt says absolutely, it is done, it is over,” a Western diplomat said, suggesting that the Egyptian military and government officials had expected Mr. Mubarak to make his exit clear last night, but that the president failed to deliver those lines. “That is not what anybody heard.”
Rachel Maddow was interviewing Egypt's ambassador to the US last night. I heard something similar from that interview. The ambassador was talking about all powers being handed over to the VP, and generally sounded supportive of the protesters (probably knowing that the current regime won't be in power much longer).
They're saying Mubarak has fled to Sharm El-Sheikh (on the tip of the Sinai peninsula). I see he's still trying his best to preserve whatever shred of dignity he has left by not running away as far as possible without actually fleeing the country. I think that the army wants to support the protesters, but they want to avoid anarchy and would rather not take over the government and damage the constitutional structure. So the most likely situation in my mind is that they forced Mubarak out of Cairo, and told Suleiman to better not screw up or there will be consequences, with the hope that the public will assent to allowing the gradual transition process to happen. At this point though, I'm sure the people of Egypt would rather see the army take over the government completely.
I was wondering about this too. I'm getting the feeling that to the protesters they are thinking "anyone but Mubarak", but is having the army take over a good thing? World history is full of military men stepping up to take over governments in times of crisis and in many cases that doesn't end up well for the country. Whats to stop an ambitious general from establishing a military dictatorship over Egypt?
He should go there and sing it. Seriously. What's remarkable about that song is that Richie Havens was thrust upon the stage before he was due to perform at Woodstock and after his set, told to keep playing. Freedom was basically "written" on that stage, Havens winging it.
What I want to know is that they are building in that contruction site in the upper right hand corner of the picture. I keep on seeing it on TV.
Great news! Saw it right after my previous post. Let's hope this all plays out well in the end. I'm crossing my fingers.
Awesome news, he did not have the ballz to do it yesterday himself. Hope Suleiman stays out as well, would hate to see him remain in power, he would just be Mubarak 2.0
i'm guessing the military does the right thing, the consequences of not letting free elections unfold would result in total chaos for egypt.
Unbelievable. We've just watched history unfold as the power of the people through social media pushed over a 30 yr stranglehold on power supported by some of the largest pay for play players in the world. This both scares me and thrills me. Without money and political power holding the forces of worldwide politics in a "stable" pattern, what other "power of the people" initiatives will be forthcoming? This doesn't exactly sound like it's the beginning of something peaceful, if anything it sounds like its the beginning of a social movement that will attempt to rid other monarchies and plutocracies in the region. That may or may not be the best for US interests, but only time will tell if the people can truly rule themselves and be peaceful with their fellow countrymen beyond a revolt with a common enemy.
yes, this is an unprecedented revolution. i hope the egyptians make the most of this opportunity to set an example in the muslim world and beyond.
