President Hosni Mubarak announced just now that he is giving power to Vice President Omar Suleiman and that he intends to stay on as president until elections are held in September. NBC News had expected him to hand over power -- and to leave. That second part didn't happen. From a rough log of Egyptian President Mubarak's speech:
By confirming the needs of the people, and by putting Egypt first, I will dissolve the upper levels of government effective immediately, and hand my power over to my vice president. This is a major moment of change.
In one way, that's the headline -- President Mubarak gives power to Vice President Suleiman, says he's staying on.
But that's not the headline among the protesters. As Mr. Mubarak made his announcement, reports Al Jazeera, what had been celebratory scenes in Cairo and Tahrir turned into scenes of absolute rage. "A lot of the people here are losing faith day by day with the army," the correspondent in Alexandria says. He reports that the crowd behind him has headed off into the streets to demand that the military take steps to remove Mr. Mubarak. NBC's Richard Engel says protesters in Cairo will march on the presidential palace.
Leave a Comment:
Will this be enough?
Will it turn ugly?
In listening to Mr. Mubarak I wasn't sure exactly what he was saying, I'm handing over some power to the Vice President and all. But, one thing was clear - he ain't going away like the people want.
I take it you're in the same boat that I am? I can't understand a damn thing the man is saying, and no I'm not meaning that as some jab at Arabic. What I mean is, even in translation, his words don't make any damn bit of sense to me. One second he is talking about what Egypt needs, then he's talking about himself, then he's using vague phrases, then he's chastising protesters- O.O?!?!
Ruh roh.....this is gonna get mighty ugly, mighty fast. So much for the hope that this would end somewhat peacefully. There is going to be blood on the streets, and sooner rather than later.
Mubarek is clearly pigheadedly determined to be part of the problem.
Why do I get this feeling I will be glued to CNN tonight?
Beats me - I'll be "glued" to MSNBC for all the Maddow-nalysis I can get...
;-)
I definitely prefer MSNBC to CNN for this sort of analysis.
NBC News had "confirmed" that Mubarak would say he was stepping down today before his actual speech. With our 24-hour news cycle, there is a lot of pressure to be first and this is the kind of thing that sometimes happens. Next time, how about leaving out the "confirmations" and just broadcast the event as it happens?
Rachel was one of few who noted that the vice president,Suleiman, was the US rendition master for prisoners we did not want to torture in our own name. What does this say about who will be in power next?
My heart breaks for those people... this is so disappointing.
I think we'd better all think peaceful thoughts for them in the
upcoming hours and days.
Mubarak is illegitimizing his presidency more and more with every speech, and every moment he stays in Egypt. What does he gain by staying?
The link below is to videos made by Egyptians during the past two weeks. They are insane. Pro Mubarak thugs driving cars and trucks through crowds and running protesters down. Unfortunately, this will NEVER get on tv. But this is what is happening. Be warned they are intense and graphic.
If you want to try re-posting the links (and they DO sound disturbing, from your description), try this approach:
h tt p : // www "dot" sitename1/sitename2 "dot" domain(e.g. "com", "org", "eg", whatever)
Sorry, somehow the link didn't past in my previous post. This is it. Again, be forwarned, these are disturbing scenes from Cairo....
Oh my. This is a bad business, Hagrid. A bad business.
Got somewhere you want to send Mubarak?
How about Gilligan's Island?
http://sharetv.org/shows/gilligans_island/episodes/212167
http://www.tv.com/gilligans-island/the-little-dictator/episode/10148/trivia.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/gilligan-s-island-the-little-dictator-tv-episode
The quote that comes to mind is Charlton Heston's oft-used from my cold, dead hands remark. The sad thing about that is the Egyptian people are probably hearing this too, and saying, you know what? We'll get back to you on that. Sooner than you think.
The "Torture Guy?" What was THAT all about? Nothing has changed.
As an unabashed progressive and political junkie for years, I gotta tell ya Rachel your Egypt analysis tonight is all wrong! It is so clear there is a split in the Army, Mubarak and Suleman are hardly "paper men" but in fact at their most dangerous right now! I bet the High Command sides with Mubarak and the present regime, while the rank-and-file and junior officers no doubt side with the people. It will come down to the junior officers to see which way they go, with the leadership or on their own.
These are the times when junior officers like colonels, majors and captains rise to become leaders by either seizing power themselves or initiating a massacre which cements their position in the establishment, and keeps their own aspirations alive for another day. The next few days will tell which way the officer corps cuts, tomorrow is their Sabbbath again, lately a big day in Egypt these days!
I agree, Tripperdude! Also, some of the on-air sources tonight were most telling, as well as Rachel's narrative of the events as the day unfolded.
It leads me to believe that Mubarak WAS stepping down, for most of the day, and that something or someone "turned him" or got his back up in a way that made him stupidly dig in his heels. (someone on Twitter was floating a rumor that Saudi royal family money was promised as an added incentive to keep that old royal dictator club rolling). I have no idea, but the Saudi royals have access to assets that make Egyptian corruption look like small-time graft (despite recent losses at the hands of Citibank, I would assume).
But at their most dangerous right now, I agree! There is something right now that is just a whisper, it is so fragile, yet so full of hope, so like a wildfire too. Paradoxes!
Here's one thing that must be pretty tight: Mubarak's bodyguards. Saddam had all those body doubles, etc. The circle around Mubarak must be pretty tight.
I don't believe Rachel's analysis was all wrong, because right now no analysis is all right. She had some of the smartest sources out there on the air, esp. Juan Cole on this side of Atlantic, and along with Engel, the Democracy Now guy (so glad he was back) and the Al Jazeera English guy. Great sources!
BTW, one other thing for TRMS to check on. I heard on Twitter that Al Jazeera Arabic didn't actually believe Mubarak had any intention of stepping down today.
Was there a difference in what Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English was covering? Do you have anyone checking on that? Two different organizations. Al Jazeera English may still be still heavy on ex-BBC people, but I am wondering what sort of deep sources Al Jazeera Arabic is tapping into, esp. Saudi-side.
And that thing with the Israeli military budget. Hmm. What to make of that?! My first impulse is that it is silly Israeli paranoia, the same paranoia that recreates the Warsaw Ghetto in Palestine with no sense of irony or karmic reflection.
My second impulse is to wonder what sort of intelligence they are using, what secret pipes (or wiretaps) they are listening to, maybe even whatever wiretaps ran from somewhere to the Mubarak palace that led him to remain in office. (no, I am not so nuts to think it was an Israeli cash offer as opposed to Saudi cash offer that got him to stay in office... but it is worth thinking through as a hypothetical... play it out and it takes you to some strange places, if that cash has been flowing for a while, for a specific "friend" for Israel-- totally implausible, isn't it?)
My first impulse wins out over my second. I just really don't think an Israeli legislative body would be acting that quickly based on real intelligence that up-to-the-minute. Not that they aren't briefed, but I don't have that high of an opinion of the Israeli legislators. They've done too many arrogant and stupido things over the last 10 years, and Likud just tilts so far to the racist right the fascist label is not unearned.
So instead, I just smell Likud paranoia in the Knesset defense budget bs.
Speaking of rumors and such... this time from an Egyptian I was celebrating with in my Brooklyn neighborhood...
He says he's heard from people back home that Mubarak is in a coma.
Might just be "fog of situation," but a good question to ask is if someone can "habeas corpus" on Mubarak, wherever he may be hiding out.