Egypt and Arab States circle toilet bowl

[Pico and ME]

And Obama was supposed to do what with that vague warning, given only a month ago?

[tw]

Originally Posted by Pico and ME

And Obama was supposed to do what with that vague warning, given only a month ago?

Virtually nobody saw this coming. The Economist about two months ago noted the coming instability because so many Arab leaders are so old and so authoritarian. Cited were Mubarak, Kaddafi, and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

Even those in Egypt probably had no idea this was coming.

Responsible leaders are supposed to make provisions for the replacement. Important to protect their legacy. In democracies, we call that elections. In Egypt, Sadat had selected his successor - Mubarak. One would think Mubarak learned. Nope. A problem when one lives in an ethersphere for too long. In his case, 30 years.

Mubarak is so detached from reality as to blame another political party - the Muslim Brotherhood - for his problems. An example of what happens when one lives too detached from his people for too long. And a real shame. A man who did so much for Egypt would so tarnish his legacy by making so many mistakes in the past decade. He is so removed from reality as to believe 90% of Egyptians voted for his party? Too much time in the ethersphere will severely pit what could have been a stellar record.

Americans have no pig in this race. And should not be involved. Even whether Mubarak has plans for a successor is not for any American to demand. Well, an American president did try to subvert elections in Australia. How did that work out? Learn from history. Only they can decide the government they want. Our job is to be talking to all parties - nothing more.