The Only Adult In The Room

[ms_m]

ms_m i was wondering about that!

when I was trying to find the loophole in your riddle [[LOL)
I noticed there are people that don't consider Washington a legal president. Who knew, even Washington had "birthers"....LOL

[tamla617]

some people still think the earths flat!which is one of the reasons colombus tripped over america!

[ms_m]

LOL...true

[ms_m]

tamla617

Off and on I've been watching BBC coverage of Egypt. I'm curious, do you guys have the same reservations about the media there, as many here have reservations about US media?

[tamla617]

in what way?

[ms_m]

Do you trust them to report the news objectively?

[tamla617]

yes i do,especially when it comes to overseas affairs.
i dont like the way they sometimes make things look bad just for the story tho'.
when before christmas, heathrow airport was shut due to an unusual high snow fall,the bbc got hold of someone at a colorado airport,a ski resort.the news reader was asking her what she thought of the london airport being shut for a such a small amount of snow,about4/5inches,"bet you have worse than that dont you" the colorado spokeswoman said "we do get more than that,yes" "what do you think of our airports shutting down" colorado "4/5inches is quite alot of snow" "yes but its not as much as you get" colorado "4 to 5 inches of snow is hard to shift and then you have to de-ice the airplanes"at this point the bbc news girl wasnt getting what she wanted to hear,in other words they only phoned colorado to make it sound that over here we are crap.thats the kind of thing i cant stand.it wasn't being objective.just trying to stir things up.she gave up trying to get a story from nothing a nd moved on to more depression in a terminal at heathrow

[ms_m]

thanks tamla617

[ms_m]

Divisiveness helps keep us distracted…

Inequality In America Is Worse Than In Egypt, Tunisia Or Yemen

By Washington's Blog

January 29, 2011 "Washington's Blog" - - Egyptian, Tunisian and Yemeni protesters all say that inequality is one of the main reasons they're protesting.

However, the U.S. actually has much greater inequality than in any of those countries.
Specifically, the "Gini Coefficient" - the figure economists use to measure inequality - is higher in the U.S.


More

[ms_m]

Op-Ed Columnist

Don’t Know Much About History

By GAIL COLLINS
Published: January 28, 2011

Is Michele Bachmann the new Sarah Palin?

And do we really need a new Sarah Palin? Shouldn’t the first one be made to go away before we start considering replacements?

Bachmann, the superconservative member of Congress from Minnesota, made a big splash on Tuesday night with her Tea Party response to the State of the Union address. True, the placement of the cameras made her look as if she was talking to an invisible friend, and her eye makeup had a peculiar zombie aspect to it. But the next day all the attention was on her and not the official Republican response by Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman.

And the Republicans were afraid to complain! One congressman from Utah told Politico that he thought “to try to upend Paul Ryan was just wrong.” Hours later he issued a retraction — through Bachmann’s office.

emphasis mine

More

If Palin and Bachmann were your co-workers, Palin would be the one sneaking out early to go bowling, while Bachmann would stay late to reorganize the office seating chart to reflect her own personal opinion of who most deserves to be near the water cooler.

[MotownSteve]

Hi ms_m,
Very good column.

[ms_m]

Agree Steve, Bachmann made a strategic move when joining up with the Tea Party. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[ms_m]

White House quietly prepares for a post-Mubarak era in Egypt

The White House stance has been even-handed as officials have suggested President Hosni Mubarak might stay in power if freedoms, competitive elections are allowed. But an insider says the U.S. is not ready to keep Mubarak in power at all costs.

Reporting from Washington —

A tight-lipped White House is taking an even-handed approach to the crisis in Egypt, suggesting that President Mubarak might be able to hold onto power if he allows competitive elections and restores individual freedoms. But inside the Obama administration, there are signs that officials are preparing for a post-Mubarak era after three decades.

One former senior administration advisor said he had spoken to his old colleagues inside the Obama administration in recent days about the unrest in Egypt. As early as last Wednesday, the Obama administration recognized that they would not be able to prop up the Mubarak regime and keep it in power at all costs, the former official said.

More

The reporting here is extremely interesting

Although Al Jazeera/English has been banned and the reporters credentials revoked, they continue to report. Some anchors being more even handed than others but overall, balanced reporting.

FYI: It's also been brought to my attention that Al Jazeera.com and Al Jazeera.net are not the same, with the .net being affiliated with the news network and the .com not affiliated. Haven't confirmed but I have notice a difference between the two in terms of the .com reporting rumors as facts and .net being almost anal in stating what has, and has not been confirmed.

There are also videos being posted from various parts of Cairo and other areas on Youtube. These videos are being done by citizens who have found ways to get around the internet blackout.

[ms_m]

Op-Ed Columnist

The Tea Party Wags the Dog

By FRANK RICH
Published: January 29, 2011

ANY lingering doubts about Barack Obama’s determination to appropriate Ronald Reagan’s political spirit evaporated just before the State of the Union. No American brand is more associated with Reagan than General Electric, and it was that corporation’s chief executive, Jeffrey Immelt, who popped up as the president’s new wingman when the White House rolled out its latest jobs initiative on Jan. 21. Obama’s speech on Tuesday, with its celebration of the nation’s can-do capitalist ingenuity, moved him still closer to Reagan’s sweet spot as a national cheerleader. The president even offered a remix of the old Reagan-era G.E. jingle “We bring good things to life” — now traded up to the grander “We do big things.”

Obama’s rhetorical Morning in America is exquisitely timed to coincide with the Gipper’s centennial — and, of course, the unacknowledged start of his own 2012 re-election campaign. It’s remarkable how completely the G.O.P. has ceded the optimism of its patron saint to the president just as the country prepares for a deluge of Reaganiana. Obama’s post-New Year’s surge past a 50 percent approval rating — well ahead of both Reagan’s and Bill Clinton’s comeback trajectories after their respective midterm shellackings — may have only just begun.

There was no drama to Obama’s address — just a unifying theme, at long last, as he reasserted the role of government in rebooting and rebuilding the country for a new century and putting Americans back to work. The president wisely left any theatrics to his adversaries, and, as always, they were happy to oblige.

Full Article

[ms_m]

South Sudan referendum: 99% vote for independence
30 January 11 04:51 ET

Some 99% of South Sudanese voted to secede from the north, according to the first complete results of the region's independence referendum.

A total of 99.57 percent of those polled voted for independence, according to the referendum commission.

Early counting had put the outcome of the ballot beyond doubt, indicating Southern Sudan had secured a mandate to become the world's newest nation.

The poll was agreed as part of a 2005 peace deal to end two decades of war.

Final results from the 9-15 January vote, which Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he will accept, are expected early next month.

If the result is confirmed, the new country is set to formally declare its independence on 9 July.

Hundreds of officials and diplomats gathered in Juba at the grave of rebel leader John Garang for the first official announcement of the results.

'The prayer of a country'

The revered South Sudanese leader died in a plane crash just days after signing the January 2005 peace agreement ending more than 20 years of conflict between the black Christian-dominated south and the mainly Arab Muslim north.

"The prayer I say the people of Southern Sudan have been waiting for for 55 years, the prayer of a country," Episcopalian Archbishop Daniel Deng said as he opened the ceremony.

"Bless the name of this land, Southern Sudan," he said.

According to the commission website, 3,851,994 votes were cast during the week-long ballot.

Five of the 10 states in Sudan's oil-producing south showed a 99.9% vote for separation, the lowest vote was 95.5% in favour in the western state of Bahr al-Ghazal, bordering north Sudan, Reuters reports.

North and south Sudan have suffered decades of conflict driven by religious and ethnic divides.

Southern Sudan is one of the least developed areas in the world and many of its people have have long complained of mistreatment at the hands of the Khartoum government.

The BBC's James Copnall, in Khartoum, says independence for the South now seems inevitable.

Our correspondent adds that though the South Sudanese are celebrating that their dream of having their own country is a massive step closer there are still issues to resolved - including underdevelopment and inter-ethnic conflict.

Tough negotiations remain on how to divide up economic resources between north and south - which has the bulk of oil, he adds.

Re posted from BBC

[ms_m]

Tea Party Gets Early Start on G.O.P. Targets for 2012

By KATE ZERNIKE
Published: January 29, 2011

Leaders of more than 70 Tea Party groups in Indiana gathered last weekend to sign a proclamation saying they would all support one candidate — as yet undetermined — in a primary challenge to Senator Richard G. Lugar, the Republican who has represented the state since 1977.

They are organizing early, they say, to prevent what happened last year, when several Tea Party candidates split the vote in Republican Senate primaries, allowing the most establishment of the candidates to win with less than 40 percent.

The meeting in Sharpsville was hardly the exception. Just three months after the midterm elections, Tea Party organizers are preparing to challenge some of the longest-serving Republican incumbents in 2012.

Full Article

[ms_m]

U.S. Auto Sales May Reach Second-Fastest Rate in 17 Months
By Craig Trudell - Jan 31, 2011 12:01 AM ET

U.S. automobile sales in January may have reached the second-fastest pace in 17 months, aided by rising business spending and consumer confidence.

January vehicle deliveries, to be released tomorrow, may have run at a 12.4 million annual rate, the average of six analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The seasonally adjusted rate in December was 12.6 million, the fastest since the government’s “cash for clunkers” program in August 2009.

Spending on equipment and software rose at a 5.8 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, showing businesses were investing in a recovering economy. Humphrey & Associates Inc., a family-owned electrical contractor in the Dallas area, added seven Chevrolet trucks and vans to its fleet in December after delaying the purchases during the recession.

More

[ms_m]

Consumer Spending in U.S. Rose More Than Estimated
By Shobhana Chandra - Jan 31, 2011 8:42 AM ET

Consumer spending in the U.S. rose more than forecast in December, capping its strongest quarter in more than four years.

Purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, increased 0.7 percent after climbing 0.3 percent the prior month, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. Incomes increased for a third month, and the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation advanced at the slowest pace on record.

Households are driving demand at companies from Coach Inc. to Ford Motor Co. and bolstering the recovery. The economy needs even faster growth to reduce unemployment, which is projected to average more than 9 percent this year, one reason Fed policy makers are pushing ahead with a second round of monetary stimulus worth $600 billion.

More

[ms_m]

Rallying Against The Koch Agenda, Van Jones Warns Of ‘Excessive Concentrations Of Economic Power’
By Brad Johnson at 9:55 am

This weekend, David and Charles Koch, the co-owners of the $100 billion Koch Industries pollution conglomerate, hosted their annual meeting in Palm Springs to coordinate strategy and raise funds for the conservative movement. For decades, the Kochs have quietly led a political agenda to concentrate America’s wealth and power among the richest few in the name of “liberty,” at the expense of the health and opportunity of the middle class.

At an event organized by Common Cause to “Uncloak the Kochs,” Center for American Progress senior fellow Van Jones described the threat that concentration of economic power poses to American liberty, democracy, and justice:

I hear a lot of talk now about liberty. There is a movement in our country that has grown up, the Tea Party movement, that has raised the question of liberty, and I say, “Thank goodness.” I’m glad that someone’s raised the question of liberty. There’s nothing more precious to an African American than liberty and justice for all. I’m glad to hear that somebody’s concerned about liberty.

Video


Full Article

[ms_m]

Five Things You Need to Know about the Egyptian Armed Forces
Posted on Monday, January 31, 2011
by Steven Cook

There has been a lot of talk about the Egyptian military the last few days. In light of this commentary, I thought it would be a good idea to offer the top 5 things people should know about the armed forces:

1. The senior officers are the direct descendants of Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Free Officers who built the Egyptian regime. The military has been a primary beneficiary of this political order and have not had to intervene overtly intervene in politics until now because the system worked relatively well under a brother officer. The armed forces, especially the commanders, are deeply enmeshed in the Egyptian economy.

2. It is tremendous relief that the military has declared that it will not fire on protestors, but also not unexpected. The Egyptian military is not the Syrian armed forces, which was willing to kill many thousands to save Hafiz al Assad in 1982. The officers have long regarded keeping Egypt’s streets quiet the “dirty work” of the Interior Ministry. Yet the declaration about restraint also has to do with internal military dynamics. There is a split in the armed forces between the senior command on the one hand and junior officers and recruits on the other who would refuse to fire on protestors. This has long been the Achilles heel of the Egyptian military. They senior people never know whether those people below them will follow orders. As a result, rather than risking breaking the army, the military will not use lethal force to put down the protests.


Full Article

[ms_m]

Al Jazeera English Is Finding an Audience
By BRIAN STELTER

Published: January 31, 201

White House officials have turned to Al Jazeera English among other television channels to monitor the mounting protests in Egypt. But most Americans lack the same ability to tune in to the broadcaster, which is based in Qatar, because cable and satellite companies in the United States have largely refused its requests to be carried.

With the network’s coverage of the crisis drawing praise, however, Al Jazeera executives said Monday that they planned to renew their lobbying to be carried on cable systems across the United States..
“I sincerely hope now is the turning point,” Al Anstey, the managing director of Al Jazeera English, said by telephone from Doha, Qatar. The channel has won some American fans in recent days because of its live stream on the Internet, which has garnered more than 1.6 million views in the United States.

Full Article

Better late than never


Brian Williams To Anchor From Cairo
"NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams will be the first network evening news anchor to broadcast from Cairo.

The Huffington Post has learned that Williams is in the region and will anchor live from Cairo Monday evening. NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel has been the network's primary presence in Egypt as the protests have unfolded.
CBS News says it is working out details to send "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric to the region.*

ABC News says that "This Week" anchor Christiane Amanpour, who anchored live from Cairo Sunday and contributed to all of ABC's weekend newscasts, will continue to lead the network's coverage for all its broadcasts.
Other American news anchors in the region include CNN's Anderson Cooper and CNBC's Erin Burnett.

*Update: CBS News announced Monday afternoon that Couric would anchor the "CBS

Evening News" from Cairo beginning Tuesday evening.

Re-posted from Huffington Post

[ms_m]

In Crowd’s Euphoria, No Clear Leadership Emerges
By ANTHONY SHADID
Published: January 31, 2011

CAIRO — In the tableau of revolution that Tahrir Square has become, the very passions that have inspired the protests here were countered Monday by a question that could determine whether President Hosni Mubarak relinquishes nearly 30 years in power: Who will speak for people who have never had a voice?

The defiance of Mr. Mubarak’s government only grew Monday, as the protests in the sprawling square swelled from hundreds before dawn to tens of thousands by dusk. Mothers hoisted children on their shoulders shouting the refrain of this revolt: “The people want the fall of the government!”

Calls went out for even bigger crowds on Tuesday, as organizers sought to gather momentum and the government reeled. But across the square, trepidation inflected the growing euphoria. Many protesters suggested that the coming days will test whether a popular uprising outpaces an inchoate opposition that has so far failed to keep up.

More

[ms_m]

Interesting dynamic or perfect storm in the making?

1. An ally whose people are protesting against social conditions and oppression but don't have a clear leader to replace the old leader

2. An ally with an entrenched religious/ political ideology and skiddish [[with powerful lobbyist in your country)

3.Both allies in the Middle East

Like James Bond, I like my Middle East intrigue lightly shaken, not stirred.

What does change in Egypt mean for Israel?

4:44 PM Mon, Jan 31, 2011
Tod Robberson / Editorial Writer

Israel always behaves according to Israel's interests. Israel doesn't do what's best for Lebanon or Jordan or Egypt. Israel does what's best for Israel. But when Egypt sinks into chaos and its longtime dictator heads toward the exit door, all of a sudden, Israel cares deeply about Egypt. If another not-so-friendly government takes power in Egypt, I think Israel's behavior could change dramatically.

Whoever takes control in Egypt, the next leader will have to be mindful of the extreme unpopularity Israel has on the streets. That is, Israel's West Bank settlements policy and near total isolation of Gaza are what's most unpopular. If a less compliant, more forceful government takes power in Egypt, Israel might start to rethink the wisdom of its own intransigence. That would be good for all -- especially if it causes the Palestinians to ease away from their unmovable position.

But ever since Israel withdrew from Gaza and walled itself off from the West Bank, it has behaved as if it could take or leave peace with the Palestinians. And Mubarak has only served to promote Israeli complacency by sending the constant message: Don't worry, no matter what you do, the worst response you'll get from Egypt is a wag of the finger and public statement of concern.

Full Article

Hezbollah Chooses Lebanon’s Next Prime Minister

By ANTHONY SHADID
Published: January 24, 201

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A prime minister chosen by Hezbollah and its allies won enough support on Monday to form Lebanon’s government, unleashing angry protests, realigning politics and culminating the generation-long ascent of the Shiite Muslim movement from shadowy militant group to the country’s pre-eminent political and military force.

Hezbollah’s success served as a stark measure of the shifting constellation of power in this part of the Middle East, where the influence of the United States and its Arab allies — Egypt and Saudi Arabia — is seen by politicians and diplomats as receding, while Iran and Syria have become more assertive.

American diplomats tried to forestall the triumph of Hezbollah’s candidate, Najib Miqati. Although the final votes will be cast Tuesday, Mr. Miqati won the decisive vote from a politician who said he had to deal “with the reality on the ground.”

Full Article

[ms_m]

Israel shocked by Obama's "betrayal" of Mubarak
By Douglas Hamilton

JERUSALEM | Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:54pm EST

[[Reuters) - If Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is toppled, Israel will lose one of its very few friends in a hostile neighborhood and President Barack Obama will bear a large share of the blame, Israeli pundits said on Monday.
Political commentators expressed shock at how the United States as well as its major European allies appeared to be ready to dump a staunch strategic ally of three decades, simply to conform to the current ideology of political correctness.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told ministers of the Jewish state to make no comment on the political cliffhanger in Cairo, to avoid inflaming an already explosive situation. But Israel's President Shimon Peres is not a minister.
"We always have had and still have great respect for President Mubarak," he said on Monday. He then switched to the past tense. "I don't say everything that he did was right, but he did one thing which all of us are thankful to him for: he kept the peace in the Middle East."

Full Article

U.S. urges Egypt's Mubarak do more, sends envoy

By Steve Holland and Andrew Quinn
WASHINGTON | Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:18pm EST

[[Reuters) - The United States urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to do more than name a new government in response to mass protests and sent an envoy to Cairo to reinforce the message.
Former U.S. ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner was on the ground in Cairo as U.S. officials sought to bring pressure on Mubarak without openly calling on him to step down.

Officials said the Egyptian government needs a path to a credible presidential election in September as part of an "orderly transition." Also needed are a lifting of emergency law and negotiations with a broad cross-section of Egyptians, including opposition groups, they said.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Wisner "has the opportunity to gain a perspective on what they're thinking and what their ideas are in terms of process that we've clearly called for."

Still walking a diplomatic tightrope, the White House insisted President Barack Obama was not calling on Mubarak to step down after a week of street protests against him and said it was up to the Egyptian people to decide their future.

More

[ms_m]

Jordan's king appoints new prime minister after protests

[[Reuters) - King Abdullah of Jordan, a close U.S. ally, Tuesday replaced his prime minister after protests over food prices and poor living conditions, naming a former premier with a military background to head the government.

A Jordanian official said the monarch officially accepted the resignation of Samir Rifai, a wealthy politician and former court adviser, and asked Marouf Bakhit to form a new cabinet.

Demonstrators inspired by mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt had called for Rifai's dismissal.

More

[ms_m]

February 1, 2011, 11:00 am
Democrats Pick Charlotte for 2012 Convention
By JEFF ZELENY

The Democratic Party announced Tuesday that Charlotte, N.C., will be the site of its 2012 national convention, with the city winning out over St. Louis, Minneapolis and Cleveland as the place to formally kick off President Obama’s re-election bid.

Mr. Obama, who plans to accept the Democratic nomination at the convention, signed off on the choice after party officials made recommendations from four finalist cities that have been locked in an intense competition for months. The convention is set to begin Sept. 3, 2012.

The selection of Charlotte underscores the belief of Mr. Obama and his advisers that they can compete – and win – in a Southern state. In the 2008 campaign, Mr. Obama won the primary election and went on to become the first Democratic candidate since Jimmy Carter to carry North Carolina in the general election by building a coalition of black voters and many of the state’s new residents who have been drawn to North Carolina because of banking and high-tech jobs.

More

[ms_m]

Op-Ed Contributor

Allying Ourselves With the Next Egypt

By JOHN KERRY
Published: January 31, 2011
Washington

EVEN if the protests shaking Egypt subside in the coming days, the chaos of the last week has forever changed the relationship between the Egyptian people and their government. The anger and aspirations propelling a diverse range of citizens into the streets will not disappear without sweeping changes in the social compact between the people and the government — and these events also call for changes in the relationship between the United States and a stalwart Arab ally.

President Hosni Mubarak must accept that the stability of his country hinges on his willingness to step aside gracefully to make way for a new political structure. One of the toughest jobs that a leader under siege can perform is to engineer a peaceful transition. But Egyptians have made clear they will settle for nothing less than greater democracy and more economic opportunities.

Ushering in such a transformation offers President Mubarak — a great nationalist ever since his generation of young officers helped their country escape the last vestiges of British colonialism — the chance to end the violence and lawlessness, to begin improving the dire economic and social conditions in his country and to change his place in history.

Full Article

[ms_m]

Obama Urges Mubarak Not to Run Again

By MARK LANDLER
Published: February 1, 2011

WASHINGTON — President Obama has told the embattled president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, that he should not run for another term in elections in the fall, effectively withdrawing American support for its closest Arab ally, according to American diplomats in Cairo and Washington.

Al Arabiya television, citing unnamed sources, reported that Mr. Mubarak would announce in a nationwide address Tuesday evening that he would not run for another term.

The message was conveyed to Mr. Mubarak by Frank G. Wisner, a seasoned former diplomat with deep ties to Egypt, these officials said. Mr. Wisner’s message, they said, was not a blunt demand for Mr. Mubarak to step aside now, but firm counsel that he should make way for a reform process that would culminate in free and fair elections in September to elect a new Egyptian leader.
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Reports are saying Murbarak will be releasing a statement shortly. There isn’t any sign what he will say and or do but simply saying he will not run in Sept., will not satisfy the protesters. They want him to stand down ASAP!

[ms_m]

Op-Ed
For Egypt's Mubarak, push has come to shove

By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Obama administration has done a creditable job of gently edging Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak toward some sort of gilded exile. Now it's time to push. Hard.

Cherished ideals of democracy and cold exigencies of realpolitik both demand that U.S. officials do whatever is in their power - which, frankly, may not be much - to hasten Mubarak's departure. Help him fuel the presidential jet and load the gold bullion, if necessary. Send him a postcard from the French Riviera saying "Wish you were here."

The administration's gradually toughening rhetoric has been appropriate, for the most part. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's initial assessment that the autocratic Egyptian government was "stable" and Vice President Biden's refusal to call Mubarak a "dictator" were obviously wrong, yet it's easy to understand why they would have trouble believing that popular protests might actually bring down such a durable and ruthless regime.

More

[juicefree20]

Still Doing it Ms. M, huh?

These politicians should be paying you. I wish that I knew President Obama. You're doing a better job than most of the 'experts' in getting the messages out.

[ms_m]

LOL

Thanks Juice but all I'm doing is reading, watching, listening, learning and posting. There are quite a few people on the net doing the same thing.

During the health care debate, Democratic net bloggers started to split into factions, one side was pro Obama the other side anti Obama. Those on the pro side finally were fed up and started sites that were dedicated to supporting the President and putting out news many don't get to see and or hear.

Right now I'm simply fascinated with what's going on in Egypt.

Thanks again for your kind words but I'm better with grass roots type support than working in a structured environment. I wouldn't last two days in the WH....LOL

[ms_m]

Mubarak is speaking. So far nothing but rhetoric, lies and blaming the protest on radicals as oppose to taking responsibility for what's going on. He's saying he never wanted power and only wanted what was best for the Egyptian people.

Sounds as if he plans to stay until the end of his term and then walk away and let the people decide their new leader by elections.

Don't think that's going to fly but he's still speaking and no reaction from the protesters yet.

[ms_m]

He said he will die on the soil of Egypt and be judged by history. [[sounded like Bush)

Translation: I don't plan to go anywhere.

[ms_m]

The analysis seems to be, apparently Mubarak was trying to walk away with his respect intact. His [[non spoken framing) you can choose to let me have my respect or chaos.

The protesters basically said, eff you, leave, get out.

So much for respect.

Stay Tuned

[ms_m]

My take, Mubarak wasn't simply talking to the Egyptian people but the EU, Israel and the US.

My paraphrasing: I've helped maintain stability here for 30 years, let me walk away on my terms and with my dignity, or you get chaos.

[ms_m]

Pro Mubarak and Anti government protesters are clashing in Alexandria. The Army isn't intervening but they are shooting in the air to try and stop them. It's not working.

[ms_m]

Obama: Egypt's Transition 'Must Begin Now'
He praises young demonstrators, along with the military

By John Johnson, Newser Staff
Posted Feb 1, 2011 6:29 PM CST

[[Newser) – President Obama said he spoke to Hosni Mubarak again today and told him that Egypt's transition to new leadership "must begin now." In his own speech, Obama didn't explicitly call for Mubarak to step down earlier than September, though the Washington Post quotes insiders as saying the administration wasn't thrilled with Mubarak's pledge to remain in power until the fall, even though he won't seek re-election. Protesters didn't like it, either.

"He recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and that change must take place," said Obama. He said he told Mubarak of "my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now." Obama also called for opposition figures to be involved in the process. He praised the nation's young demonstrators for providing "inspiration" to the world and lauded Egypt's military for its restraint.

Re-posted

[ms_m]

Clashes Erupt in Cairo Between Mubarak’s Allies and Foes

CAIRO — President Obama’s calls for a rapid transition to a new order in Egypt seemed eclipsed on Wednesday as a choreographed surge of thousands of people chanting support for the Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak fought running battles with a larger number of antigovernment protesters in and around Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

The mayhem and chaos — with riders on horses and camels thundering through the central square — offered a complete contrast to the scenes only 24 hours earlier when hundreds of thousands of antigovernment protesters turned it into a place of jubilant celebration, believing that they were close to overthrowing a leader who has survived longer than any other in modern Egypt.

Such was the nervousness across the Arab world, spreading from its traditional heart in Egypt, that the leader of Yemen offered on Wednesday to step down by 2013 — the latest in a series of autocratic leaders bending to the wave of anger engulfing the region.

More

[ms_m]

Reports indicate the pro Mubarak protesters are two fold:

1. Regular citizens who want the anti protesters to stop so their lives can go back to normal [[banks, school, businesses are closed, food supplies are low and cost are spiraling out of control)

2. Thugs [[criminals) who are deliberately trying to cause chaos

The latter are allegedly backed by the Mubarak Regime although they are denying this

Unconfirmed reports say hundreds killed and injured

Anderson Cooper and his crew were injured and possibly other US reporters [[no serious injuries)

[ms_m]

It’s being alleged that the increase of pro Mubarak started after rumors were spread that people would not receive any paychecks until the anti protesters leave.

Note: Anti protesters were peaceful for days and it wasn’t until the pro Mubarak demonstrators came on the scene that chaos began.

It’s also being reported that many of the pro Mubarak supporters rode into the crowd on horses and camels and are plain clothes police. [[ID’s have been confiscated that seem to prove this) The army has not intervened, although to be fair, both sides are Egyptians and the Army did say they would not harm Egyptians.

The army is asking the anti government protesters [[the peaceful guys) to leave.

My personal opinion, this [[chaos) has all been manipulated and orchestrated by the Mubarak regime.

To reiterate and paraphrase Mubarak speech from the other night:

I’m the one that has been responsible for the stability of Egypt for 30 years, without me chaos will ensue. “I will die on Egyptian soil”…. [[before I leave – my words)

UPDATE
It's now being reported that Mubarack has ordered the police to get involved and will shoot. Army is warning protesters to go inside and take cover.

[ms_m]

Envoy for Obama tells Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step aside

Frank Wisner, an envoy sent to Cairo at President Obama's request, tells Hosni Mubarak that he should not be part of the 'transition' that the U.S. has called for. 'This message was plainly rebuffed,' says a source.

By Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons, Tribune Washington Bureau

February 1, 2011, 12:12 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. envoy in Cairo told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that he needed to step aside and allow a new government to take shape without him but was rebuffed, according to Middle East experts who have discussed the matter with the Obama administration.

Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt who has good relations with the Mubarak regime, traveled to Cairo at President Obama's behest to talk to the Egyptian leader about the country's future.

Wisner delivered a direct message that Mubarak should not be part of the "transition" that the U.S. had called for, according to Middle East experts who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Update
Reports are saying, Egyptian State TV [[controlled by Mubarak) are now terrorizing the citizens by reporting hundreds of thugs are hitting the streets and heading towards Tahrir Square [[in Cairo) where the peaceful protesters are.

[ms_m]

One reporter just made a great point. When the anti government protesters started preparing their peaceful protest the other day, they were all frisked before entering the square to make sure they didn't have any weapons. On the flip side, the sudden appearance of the pro Mubarak protesters are obviously armed and looking for violence.

The Anti protesters [[the peaceful guys) seem determined to maintain control of the square until Friday when they are planning a new major protest against Mubarak.

For now there is a stand still between the two groups. Who will end up controlling the square by Friday is up in the air.

Robert Gibbs is now speaking and saying the violence needs to stop and the Mubarak's transition needs to begin now!

[ms_m]

Clashes Erupt in Cairo Between Mubarak’s Allies and Foes

By ANTHONY SHADID, DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and KAREEM FAHIM
Published: February 2, 2011

CAIRO — The Egyptian government struck back at its opponents on Wednesday, unleashing waves of pro-government provocateurs armed with clubs, stones, rocks and knives in and around Tahrir Square in a concerted effort to rout the protesters who have called for an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s near-30-year rule.

After first trying to respond peacefully, the protesters fought back with rocks and Molotov cocktails as battles broke out around the square. A makeshift medical clinic staffed by dozens of doctors tended to a steady stream of anti-government protesters, many bleeding from head wounds.

As the two sides exchanged volleys, the military restricted itself mostly to guarding the Egyptian Museum and using water cannons to extinguish flames stoked by the firebombs. And on Wednesday night, state media broadcast an order from the government for all protesters to leave the square.

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Note: If anyone is wondering about the Egyptian police versus the Egyptian Army
The people do not trust the police but they do trust the Army although, that trust may deteriorate. The controls to keep weapons out of the square during the peaceful march were conducted by the Army and civilians.

Ironically they did not perform those same strict security measures today when pro Mubarak crowd showed up.

The idea that Mubarak brings stability to the country is really being pushed hard now. Divide and conquer seems to be the theme and agenda.

[ms_m]

I posted this up-thread, but wanted to reiterate the “position” of the Army.

Five Things You Need to Know about the Egyptian Armed Forces

The new VP of Egypt, Omar Sulieman is making appeals to the anti government protesters to go home. Basically saying, if you go home then we can begin a dialogue.

Now that things are getting ugly it seems the internet service is coming back to Egypt.

You can hear gunfire although the Murbarak Regime is denying they are firing. Pretty hard for the pro democracy crowd to fire since they were frisked for weapons prior to their peaceful demonstration.

[ms_m]

For months and months I have heard critics accuse the President of being Bush light. Then the situation in Egypt arise and critics are upset because the President tried his best not to get in the middle of the situation while still supporting the rights of the Egyptian people to protest for democracy.

Not getting in the middle is the exact opposite of what Bush would have done since he and Cheney would have invaded Egypt by now in order to “liberate” the people.

Now the President is getting more forceful in his language telling Mubarak, speed it up dude you need to start the transition now not later, but critics are saying, that’s not enough.

No matter how many times the US has screwed up in the past, at some point we have to change our ways. Why get mad now, when that’s exactly what this President is trying to do?

Egypt started this protest as a social protest not a political and ideological one. But so many want to step in and turn this political.

I have been really impressed reading and hearing many of the personal accounts from these Egyptian pro democratic protesters. Last night when I first saw signs of violence, you could see many of the pro democracy protesters trying to get things under control and quell the violence.

This morning many were saying they didn’t have any problem with the pro Mubarak protesters because, "that’s how democracy works” but they did have a problem with their violent behavior which is understandable.

I also heard one pro democratic protester push back on the idea that the US should get involved, she said, “I appreciate the sentiment but this is our fight, it’s up to us to handle this.” That’s adult behavior, that’s taking responsibility. The world could learn something from these young people.

[ms_m]

Time for Mubarak to step down: John McCain
Joshua Lott/Reuters

John McCain has called for Mubarak to step down

WASHINGTON — Top U.S. Senator John McCain, shortly after talks with President Barack Obama, urged embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday to “step down and relinquish power.”

“Regrettably the time has come 4 Pres Mubarak 2 step down [[and) relinquish power,” McCain said in a post on the microblogging site Twitter roughly an hour after discussing the bloody political crisis in Egypt with Obama.

“It’s in the best interest of Egypt, its people [[and) its military,” said the lawmaker, Obama’s rival for the US presidency in 2008 and the top Republican on the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

Agence-France Presse

Read more

[ms_m]

Posted at 5:50 PM ET, 02/ 2/2011

Senate defeats Republican-led health-care repeal effort

By Felicia Sonmez
Updated: 6:25 p.m.

The Senate on Wednesday night defeated a Republican-led effort aimed at repealing the entire national health care overhaul, with lawmakers voting strictly along party lines.

All 50 Senate Democrats present and one independent voted to nix the repeal measure, while all 47 Republicans voted in favor of proceeding. Sens. Joe Lieberman [[I-Conn.) and Mark Warner [[D-Va.) were not present. The measure was offered on Tuesday by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell [[R-Ky.).
Republicans would have needed the support of 13 Democrats due to a Democratic-led procedural move setting up a 60-vote hurdle for the measure to move forward.

Democrats' unanimous opposition to the repeal measure came even as several vulnerable lawmakers up for re-election in 2012, including Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin [[W.Va.), Claire McCaskill [[Mo.), Jon Tester [[Mont.) and Ben Nelson [[Neb.), had come under pressure to support repeal.

Full Article

[ms_m]

It looks as if the pro Mubarak supporters are about to start an all out war against the pro democracy supporters. They are erecting barricades around Tahrir Square and shooting out the street lights. If they rush the pro democracy supporters, these people will be trapped with nowhere to go.

Reports are saying many of these Mubarak supporters are being recognized as members of the police.



Update:
Both sides now seem to have barricades up and some type of fire bombs are being thrown from the pro Mubarak side.

[ms_m]

How the White House Approached Egyptian Turmoil

Marc Ambinder - Marc Ambinder is the White House correspondent for National Journal and a contributing editor at The Atlantic.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The reality by late last week, as Obama and his advisers came to conclude, was that Egypt 2.0 would be a reforming Egypt as well. The sooner Mubarak understood this, the better. And of course, given that the protesters focused so cleanly on Mubarak as the source of their discontent, he would have to go. But Obama insisted that his team not call for regime change. For one thing, though protesters might suddenly experience a flood of positive feeling toward the United States, given the general level of anti-U.S. hostility inside the country, at least as assessed by intelligence reports, any government seen as being endorsed by the U.S. would risk legitimacy in the long-run.

"We recognize that the bar on the street is set at a place we could never possibly reach," the administration official said. "They want the U.S. to declare Mubarak needs to leave now. We're not in the business of regime change."
"As the president said in Cairo, Bush's freedom agenda has turned into a proxy for regime change, like getting rid of some leaders and replacing them with leaders more friendly to the U.S.," the official said. "The president believes that for these reforms to be real and lasting, these reforms need to be indigenous and lasting and pushed by the people."

Full Article

[ms_m]

The Egyptian Revolution Is Not About Us

…Since nobody knows what comes next in Egypt, I find the
confidence with which many recommendations are now being made very hard
to take.

Feb 2 2011, 9:24 AM ET By Clive Crook

The uprising in Egypt has produced the greatest torrent of wisdom of
hindsight since, oh, since the Great Recession. Yes, it's as long ago as
that since we saw so much delayed predictive power.

America should have forced Mubarak out sooner seems, all of a sudden,
to be the prevailing view. I cannot say it was obvious at the time.
Maintaining the sullen peace between Egypt and Israel was worth
something to the West and to the region, wasn't it? But the regime was
sure to come apart at some stage, it is [[now) argued. Better to get in
front of the curve.

When you make this kind of argument for far-sightedness in economic
affairs--on deficit reduction, for instance--you can expect to be told
that "in the long run, we are all dead". That argument is wrong, of
course: in the long run, we are not all dead. But the consequences of
failing to curb public borrowing are far easier to predict than the
consequences of pushing Mubarak out earlier would have been--supposing
that the US could even have done it. Stability and peace [[however
uneasy) are not to be given up lightly, especially when what replaces
them is so uncertain. Getting in front of the curve on Iraq did not work
out all that well. Obviously, we should have known that all along...

Full Article