Hi folks, I've been watching the situation in Egypt next door evolve and it is truly astounding what the people there have accomplished to throw off the chains of dictatorship. There is nothing that fills me with more enthusiasm than a good rebellion. My sources are few, know a fair of number of Egyptians at work, tho only in the last few days have we talked politics in depth. Went to Egypt last year for a mere week or so and liked the place in spite of its faults...(someday the story of the tough cop thug). My concern is the US position so far.
Hillary Clinton is “a ...national” ... “as whole” .... “all hole” ... that's not what I was trying to say but the dictation prgm wouldn’t let me curse Clinton out as she deserves.
You can tell this clearly from one thing she said in her blathering statements about the situation in Egypt which is obviously in a revolutionary moment.
How can we abandon the Egyptian government, she asked one on TV talk show yesterday. After all we've been friends for nearly 30 years. She meant Mubarak of course. Yes, thirty years of a wonderful friendship -- but for the Egyptians thirty years of a cruel tyranny!!
I'm shocked at her stupidity. This is the clearest sign of the disconnect between Washington DC and Egypt. It's quite clear that she and the whole US side is out of touch with the profoundly changed situation in Egypt.
Hillary urges somebody she calls “President Mubarak" to "open a dialogue" with “his people.” He's had 30 years to do that, has shown little inclination to dialog with anyone and now responds to the rebellion not by offering “dialog” but by police, thugs, jetfighters, and the presence of armored vehicles. It's obvious that the man is incapable of a notion such as "dialogue" “free and fair elections" "freedom of speech" ect. It's good Hillary utters these pious sentiments, yes, but she only makes her self ridiculous by staying in the mindset that has worked in the past but no longer applies.
She says she doesn't want to over influence or micro manage the situation -- yes of course that's understandable, but by implying Mubarek is still the legitimate leader of Egypt, she's damaging the slim chances of those totally undefended free forces that we see each revolutionary day—who are admirably evolving into a more and more coherent phenomenon. Bravo El Baradei!
I'm particularly disappointed because I've always rejected Egyptian accusations about US perfidy and complaints alleging that the US wouldn't support the Egyptian people in any case, hanging on to the dictator as they do. I replied (tentatively) to these people who were my colleagues and co workers that I felt sure the US would support a genuine people's rebellion, if they ever got one going. Privately I felt annoyed at what I thought was one more dishonest blame game -- in which it's always safe for Arabs to blame the US but never the tyrants in their own countries.
Now we have a clear case study in front of us, a clearly revolutionary moment in which the people themselves have revolted by their own lights and I have to say: the charge made by Egyptians is beginning to look plausible. Here is a liberal State Dept Secretary serving under a Democrat president--and what do we get from them? Nothing but the most mealy-mouthed platitudes in which you get the feeling that the possible escape of an entire people from 30 years of tyranny and an absolutely unprecedented revolt in this region of the world is taking place – is just a detail hardly worth mentioning.
How could our petty “security concerns” compare to the fate of 80 million?
For shame!
I hope for two things-- that the new Egypt will emerge more or less peacefully in spite of Mubarek’s stupid intransigence and lukewarm US support for what is clearly a democratic (and as I write) peaceful revolution. Secondly that the US will improve its understanding and the tone and substance of its statements as the situation evolves. Clearly Mubarek needs to be prodded or better kicked out of the place.
The Egyptians have stated very clearly that they will refuse to go back to the status quo ante, so we better get with it.
(I wish I were there, but had to stay here during the break – due to some extra jobs I had to vanquish).
The news photos that portray the man once known as “resident Mubarek” seem to show a stony faced Pharoah who still has all of his powers within the sphere he normally controls, so none of those toadies are going to speak up. Our government has got to step in and take responsibility: otherwise the new revolutionary Egypt is going to very p**sed off.
And oh yes, what I was trying to say but the voice-text program either censored (because it’s coded to not allow criticism of high officials) or didn’t understand:
And if you didn’t get my initial message--Hillary is an A S * H O L E !!
