Tunesia, Egyt and now Yemen: a domino effect in the Middle East?

No, I think I'm seeing a rejection of your "big kids", spendi. The populace of Egypt has said "ENOUGH! You're outta here!" The big kids are still trying to spin it their way, but the people of Egypt are rejecting any and all spin.

My son called me while I was on the treadmill at the gym, eyeing CNN...he'd watched the crowd while they listened to Mubarak. He said it was so emotional just watching their reactions when Mubarak refused to abdicate - as they all believed he would when the announcement was made that he'd be speaking to them.

We both were quite concerned that something really bad would happen over that night. Relieved it didn't. ...and then, they marched toward the palace. It looked like a French Revolution. I was hoping we wouldn't see scenes of a mangled Mubarak being dragged in the streets by a frenzied mob.

So many horrors have been avoided. I hope Mubarak will have the sense to see the crowd isn't going away, and step down before there is a real stain in history to punctuate this story.

One blip of news: the eleven or so deaths Egypt admits is reportedly more like 300. CNN

It really does not matter what we as in western nations and in particular the US thinks of Mubarak all this time. The point is that the people of Egypt want him gone for their own legitimate reasons. It is their country and if they want their leader gone, they should have a right and the freedom to have it done. And we as as a nation who always espouses freedom and democracy should respect and support other people who in nations who want to have free elections and freedom from being oppressed and tortured in order to stifle dissent.

Reports here are saying that the Army has taken control of Egypt and the Minister of Defence is in charge.

I think they are being supported.

uh oh.

I don't know that I believe this but...

5:40pm GMT+2: Alaa Abdel Fatah says that the army have now given up and are letting the protesters control the flow of people around the state television building.

3:49pm GMT: My colleague Harriet Sherwood sends this from Jerusalem:

The Israeli media is reporting a telephone conversation between Mubarak and Israel's trade minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a long-time friend, shortly before the Egyptian president's speech last night.

Ben-Eliezer told Israel's Army Radio: "He knew that this was it, that this was the end of the road. He was looking for only one thing – give me an honourable way out. 'Let me leave in an honourable fashion.'"

I don't see what would have been dishonourable about Mubarak saying, "the people have Egypt have spoken and I heard, therefore I will resign my presidency effectively immediately." Or something like that. It would have been very courageous and honorable.

Mubarak resigns and turns all powers over to the military!

I think the people will be jubilant for about 20 minutes, and may find out Mubarak was a mensch compared to the military. We'll see. At least the military leadership has a good idea about which way the wind is blowing...and may try to come out with increased freedoms for the people.

But, I've heard rhetoric from Tahrir that makes one think the people won't accept the military any more than they would Mubarak.

edit - As Set said, Mubarak's reign was tied to military support. When the masses moved on Mubarak's palace, and the army turned turrets from the people - Mubarak's fate was sealed.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/11/egypt-unrest-protesters-begin-18th-day-of-demonstrations/?hpt=T1&hpt=T1&iref=BN1

Here is the orgiastic jubilant acme. Next comes the post-coital euphoria.

"The term Muslim Brotherhood is an umbrella term for a variety of movements. In the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried al-Qaeda as a perversion of Islam,"

Largely secular? Eschewed violence? The Muslim brotherhood decries Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam? Did anybody happen to notice any white powder around Clappers nostrils while he was testifying before Congress? Was there a flask in his back pocket?

Well, as you might expect, it didn't take long at all for the dog washers in Clappers office to start walking back most of the statements he made to this congressional committee. ABC news received one of those statements that begins with "to clarify Director Clappers point." And then went on to explain that John Clapper is "well aware that the Muslim brotherhood is not a secular organization." Yeah -- Clapper became "well aware" of that fact when the outraged over his idiotic statements to the congressional committee started to flow through the Internet.

This isn't just a case of an inept president appointing somebody without a clue to be his national intelligence director. By that very title we must assume that whatever Obama knows about the Islamic radical threat against the United States comes from John Clapper; and Clapper wouldn't know an Islamist radical threat from a Boy Scout jamboree. Does this make you feel safe? If so, then your definition of safe is worlds apart from mine.

So stay tuned to the Boortz show today. We promise to keep you up to speed on everything that is happening over there on the banks of the Nile. In the meantime, I'm going to tell my travel agent to cancel the plans that we were making for a trip to the great pyramids.

BOORTZ.

4:12pm GMT: The full text of the vice-president's very brief statement:

In these difficult circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave the position of the presidency. He has commissioned the armed forces council to direct the issues of the state.

I agree that our preferences are not relevant to the government Egyptians may choose for themselves. However, do you really know "what the people of Egypt want" ? It appears to me that there are or may appear several contending parties, each proclaiming to exclusively know the answer to that question (tyrants, in particular almost always claim this knowledge). It isn't at all clear that what will follow will really involve "free elections" . Indeed haste in removing the existing government (and thereby limiting the time available to organize political coalitions and elections) may facilitate the takeover of the government by yet another authoritarian regime.

Revolutions such as this one have been hijacked by authoritarian groups before (indeed that is the most frequent outcome). There are elections in Iran as well, but from the reported results of the last one, they were neither free nor fair.

Maybe so, but at least they have a chance now. A chance at something better.

The fact that their military is entwined with our military due to long associations, and that they rely upon us for so much foreign aid, is a powerful lever.

Cycloptichorn

This was the best possible news I could have read today! After yesterday's speech I was worried that the military had decided to protect Mubarak.

Cycloptichorn

Me too.

As far as I can tell he really didn't want to leave but knew he had to... and spectacularly muffed his departure, as he attempted (but failed) to leave with dignity.

Whew!

Very interested in what happens from here. (Both in Egypt and elsewhere, now that this popular uprising has proved to be effective.)

There seem to be a pretty good number of ordinary Egyptians who have made their wishes clearly known on blogs and twitter as well as signs and the like. It might take a while, but from what I have reading, I really don't think the ones who are part of this revolt or protest are wanting an regime like Iran. But even if they do, that is their choice. I don't think this crowd who has forced this regime to step down is going to allow any other oppressive forces to take its place; not now that they have the world watching and have found out that they can take to the streets and get world opinions on their side.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/world/middleeast/12egypt.html?_r=1&hp&emc=na
Maybe this is it>

Joe(maybe)Nation