First off, this from Loony Chavez is hilarious:
Venezuela’s firebrand leader Hugo Chavez accused the United States on Sunday of a “shameful” role in the Egyptian crisis and of hypocrisy for supporting, then abandoning strongmen round the world.
You remember him? We supported and then abandoned him as the first opportunity. Apparently he’s upset that we never gave a visa to the exPresident of Tunisia. Maybe we never offered him one either back in the day.
Anyway – I’m getting the feeling that Mubarek will ride this out but not run in September when elections are scheduled.
The people are rising up about their lot in life. Forgive me for being cynical (actually maybe this is the noncynical thought) but I suspect with money thrown at the problem and jobs created and the promise of an election without a Mubarek on the ticket they will choose peaceful assembly.
The military has yet to abandon Mubarek and there is no indication that they will.
I just hope that the two overriding paradigm shifts that come of this will be
1) Israeli/Palestinian peace is not really what an unstable middle east is about
2) People in the Middle East are capable of wanting freedom too.
Read
Victor Davis Hansen
Stephen Hadley
John Podhoretz
May I respectfully disagree… Mubarek will not continue as leader/dictator of Egypt. He’s done. Period. For the last 50 years, military dictators have ruled Egypt with an iron first but remember, Sadat was gunned down (by the Muslim Brotherhood) and Mubarek has had 6 assasination attempts against him.
I predict the Army will “seize power” in other words, Mubarek will esentialy abdicate power by ceding it to an Army General, the General will say XYZ is now the caretaker leader (not that clown Elbaradi (sp)) of Egypt and free elections will come as they are scheduled later this year.
The Army will back the interim leader and the outpouring of euphoria will be directed towards creating parties and they will have a messy election and realize democracy and freedowm ain’t all sweetness and light and jobs, food, and happiness doesn’t apear when you vote.
Of course, in reality, who the hell knows!