Breaking: Mubarak resigns, Armed Forces Supreme Council ascends; Ahmadinejad exults, Biden self-deludes
Egyptian Vice President Suleiman just made the announcement.
A military council will now assume power.
A victory for democracy?
More to come…
Newsflash: Leon Panetta’s scanning cable tee-vee and Twitter trending topics for intel. Announcement on Mubarak’s resignation pending.
Via AP:
Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak resigned as president and handed control to the military on Friday, bowing down after a historic 18-day wave of pro-democracy demonstrations by hundreds of thousands.
A massive crowd in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square exploded into joy, waving Egyptian flags, and car horns and celebratory shots in the air were heard around the city of 18 million in joy after Vice President Omar Suleiman made the announcement on national TV just after nightfall.
“In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic,” a grim-looking Suleiman said. “He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor.”
White House just announced: Obama will be in front of a TV camera at 1:30pm ET before Robert Gibbs’ final press briefing to address Egypt.
CIA announces: Panetta will be watching.
/sarc
***
Update 11:45am ET Gag alert.
This is from Politico’s Mike Allen on Twitter:
TOP DEM. OFFICIAL: “situation remains…delicate…but..this is a huge affirmation of the President’s leadership on the international stage”
More Democrat self-back-patting here.
***
Meanwhile in Iran: Ahmadinejad calls for Mideast without Israel and US
Former Israeli ambassador Dan Gillerman: “This country cannot afford to fall into the hands of extremism.” Hopes military can maintain moderation. Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood “would be an existential threat” to Israel and the entire region. Voices concern over the prospect of mullahs in Iran, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and MB in Egypt.
***
A sober take from Ellis Goldberg at Foreign Affairs:
The Mubarak regime as it has existed for the last decade — an increasingly corrupt and incompetent government that has conferred immense economic advantages on a handful of politically connected businessmen — has been shattered. A more open political system and a responsive government that ensures its own safety by trimming back the power and privileges of the military could still emerge. And the army may step in as a transitional power and recognize that, as much as it might like to, it cannot return to complete control. The Egyptian military is far more professional and educated than it was in the 1950s, so many officers may recognize the benefits of a democracy. More likely, however, is the culmination of the slow-motion coup and the return of the somewhat austere military authoritarianism of decades past.
***
Update 1:03pm Eastern – White House has delayed Obama’s statement.
Biden, on the other hand, dove head first into the pool of self-delusion:
Vice President Joe Biden said today is a “historic day for the people of Egypt” that will go down as a “pivotal moment” in history.
“This is a pivotal moment in history…not only in Middle East history,” Biden said.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he will step aside, after 18 days of protests have rocked the United States’ ally in the Middle East. Mubarak has been in power for nearly 30 years.
Biden, speaking about an hour before President Obama addresses the nation, said he was pleased that the United States has largely spoken with “one voice” about the need for a peaceful and orderly transition in Egypt.
“This unity has been important and it will be even more important in these delicate and fateful days ahead,” he said.
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This event still isn’t important to America and it won’t change our lives at all.
If he was such a horrible tyrant, why haven’t there been benefit concerts like for Darfur and the Sudan? Speaking of which. . . if we are toppling tyrants, aren’t there a few more in Africa needing addressing?
What did Mubarak do that was bad? Steal money? psst. . . Congress feels entitled to spend 1.5T each year more than they have.
I can’t speak as to why there were no concerts, but this guy was a tyrant, did do some pretty horrible things to his people, though maybe not on the level of Darfur or Rwanda or any other dozen African or ME countries.
Meh. I didn’t care when it started, and I don’t care now.
This is about as interesting as the Chilean miners.
No doubt he was, and he also kept Egypt in peace for 30 years. I see little crying for Mubarak, just concern what may may come down the road.
The Kansas House has passed the Health Care Freedom Amendment (HCR 5007) on a vote of 91 to 27. Some good news, little by little.
Well now that Obummer is taking credit for this – who’s he going to blame when the fit hits the shan?
Bush? Rush? Hannity? Cheney? Haliburton? Palin?
Sure it will.
When the “Bros” sweep away whatever attempted governance there is post-Mubarak like Lenin disposed of the Kerensky government after the Czar’s abdication, then abrogate the Camp David Accords and together with Iran, Lebanon and Syria – and maybe even Jordan – declare war on Israel, shutting down the Suez Canal in the process and even triggering a regional nuclear conflict, it’s hard to see how we could not be affected.
Whether we would do anything about it is an open question, particularly with this administration which has already made it plain that it is no friend of Israel; but that we would be affected by it is a little doubt.
What with this development, plus
The Coming Ice AgeGlobal WarmingClimate ChangeClimate Chaos™, plus the magnetic poles switching places, and “2012″ right around the corner while the guy everybody thought was the chocolate-covered Second Coming resembles the anti-Christ more and more, we’re doomed, doomed I tell ya!Ahhh…it all makes sense now.
Obama said that the army (in Egypt) did a good job of protecting the state. Good for them.
Here, the army protects the constitution. I wonder if anyone remembers that? Man, it sucks to have this guy as our president.
…nor for Europe (Napoleonic wars);
…nor for the world/civilization.
The French Revolution, which was not a good thing, with the inauguration of its Reign of Terror, was arguably when the “opposite worldview” burst upon, and made an impact on, “the world stage”.
I see the army in Egypt suspended the P/VP and both houses of parliament.
Obama is becoming Jimmy Carter faster than Jimmy Carter became Jimmy Carter. Yowzer.
6 months until Sharia runs Egypt and starts blowing up the monuments.
Obama will dump a ton of HUSH MONEY and FOOD on Egypt to keep the Muslim Brotherhood silent until he leaves office. I don’t know how Egypt will feed its 83 million people under Islamic rule. No incentive to produce and not enough fertile soil to sustain them. Egypt imports 40 percent of its total foodstuffs and 60 percent of its wheat. The Republicans should cut off all aid if the Muslim Brotherhood take over or are a major part of the government. They cannot have enough food or access to food to last more than 3-4 weeks. I don’t see the Egyptian military allowing any hard line Muslim group to take power. We hold their purse strings.
Tourism is officially dead. Maybe Michelle “Marie Antoinette” Obama can fly out to a five star luxury hotel in the Red Sea to proclaim Egypt safe, like she did long after the Gulf of Mexico spill. Lord knows that moocher needs another half a million dollar tax payer subsidized vacation after working off all that booty fat from her Let’s
MoveMooch campaign.Ah, man — you’re killing me, Aloha… killing me.
Thanks…
Film smuggled out by the CIA.
(probably not work safe)
Video just in (not work safe if your boss speaks French…)
“Honey, does this burka make my ass look fat?”
So, wanna bet Obambi and Lunch Bucket Joe are watching Fox for all their breaking intel?
I hope the people of Egypt want what they got…
Gad, what a putz.
It is. Republicans should hold hearings on cutting their budgets and replacing a horde of bureaucrats with cable TV.
Panetta might have known about this a little sooner if he wasn’t watching a documentary about seven castaways who survived on a deserted island after getting blown off course during a three hour tour.
Panetta may be an undercover leprechaun. Full of blarney and all.
Honest Abe he ain’t–I think that’s why they invented the Burka!
All that remains to be seen is what Dictator or Dictatorial regime replaces the Dictator.
Now that Mubarak is gone, how llong before we get rid of Newbarack?
The purging will commence in….
The Islamic world is filled with powerful ideologues, many of whom have been scrambling to get a piece of the sandbox.
Moderates, if any, will have a higher risk of assassination, than will Islamic extremists who worm their way into positions where life and death decisions are made.
And….they will have the “Blessings of Allah“, and the mulahs.
I just hope Panetta is watching the news at the Plame’s.
Doug Powers–turnaround is fair play! You have no idea how many times I’ve nearly snorted out my adenoids at your comments.