This is the crucial moment.

[Ken Burch]

Mr. President, if you care about the people of Egypt at all, you HAVE to make it clear now, now that Mubarak has deliberately provoked his country by not resigning when he made it look like he would, that the U.S. will wash our hands of the tyrant and will do nothing at all to keep him in power.

With his latest speech, Mubarak destroyed any legitimacy he had as a leader. We have to join the world now in officially renouncing him.

If the U.S. doesn't, it forfeits any right to claim to support freedom for anyone.

There would be no difference at all between saving Mubarak now and FDR's insistence on saving Franco in the Thirties (by signing the pro-Fascist "Neutrality Act" that reactionaries in Congress passed to stop the people of Spain from getting the support they needed to save democracy). Both were unforgiveable betrayals, and both had no positive results at all.

[tabatha]

1. Obama saying something might make it worse for the protesters.

That is, if he has the best outcome for the Egyptians in mind, he must not say anything more than he has.

[Ken Burch]

2. IT wouldn't hurt them to say, at least "we WON'T stand in your way at all".

n/t.

[tabatha]

3. How can they stand in their way?

[tabatha]

4. And has he not said as much?

Barack Obama impatient for credible transition in Egypt

US president says the Egyptian government has yet to put forward a 'credible, concrete and unequivocal path to democracy' after President Hosni Mubarak refuses to step down.

Obama has been putting pressure on Mubarak since last week to stand down straight away.

Barack Obama expressed dismay at the failure of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to stand down and said the Egyptian government has yet to put forward a "credible, concrete and unequivocal path to democracy", as Egypt prepared today for what protesters predicted would be the biggest protests yet.

The US president's patience appeared to be nearing its end after being wrong-footed and embarrassed earlier in the day by an expectation that Mubarak was planning to stand down.

The US unhappiness with Mubarak was echoed by European leaders.

The White House, the state department and the Pentagon will be seeking explanations from their counterparts in Egypt as to what went wrong. Obama's critics claimed he had been set up and the whole incident reflected his naivety.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/11/obama-egypt-credible-transition-hosni-mubarak

[Ken Burch]

5. Still a lot of weasel words in there.

n/t.

[Honeycombe8]

6. He has said as much. It's not his country. He has expressed the views you're expressing.

He has said that Mubarak has to go soon, that Sept wouldn't do. He has said that Egypt and Mubarak need to start finding their way to democracy. Etc., etc. He has made stronger statements than any other country's leader, that I know of.

Once again, it's not our country. We cannot dictate to another country what they should do, except to reiterate our core belief in individual rights and freedoms and democracy, and that every country should be that way. (What we do behind the scenes is a different matter.)

We have to tread a fine line. We can't be seen as kicking out another country's leader (it's not our country), esp when that country is a good ally to us and our other good allies.

What if we took a hard line (which wouldn't mean much to Mubarak, anyway), and then he or one of his supporters ended up in staying in power in Egypt? Would Egypt then cancel its agreements with our ally Israel that we helped broker?

Obama seems to be doing a fine job, treading that line. They are probably pressing hard behind the scenes; they can only do certain things in public. But Obama has said what you say he hasn't. We are helping the protestors in the way we know how, and working behind the scenes, while making public statements in support of democracy and individual rights and freedoms. O has made it clear what he wants to happen, or foreign aid will be revisited. But we can't be seen to oust another country's leader. How would you like it if another country's leader started making public statements to tea partiers that they should oust Obama?

[RBInMaine]

8. Spot On

[JoePhilly]

9. But blustering and saber rattling always works best for the US in the ME

doesn't it??

:sarcasm:

[RBInMaine]

7. Um, let's remember that this is EGYPT and THEY have to solve their issues, NOT US nor ANYONE else.

Obama can say whatever. The Europeans can say whatever. In the end, it is THEIR country, and THEIR destiny. THEY will decide what happens. Obama has been clear that he wants a TRANSITION of power to begin immediately. TRANSITION doesn't mean COMPLETELY INSTANTLY, but it does mean to begin the change in a meaningful and observable way(and preferably with a full transition sooner than later). As I understand it, Mubarak IS turning over a lot of power to the VEEP there, would remain mainly a figurehead, and will not run again this year. If that is not enough for Egyptians, THEY will have to sort that out.

[Jennicut]

10. I think we have done enough interfering in the middle east. I would, however, cut off

their foreign aide if Mubarak and his VP don't allow elections to happen. Then we simply have no influence over there.

[young but wise]

11. +1

We have enough problems in this country.

[BklnDem75]

12. Emotion filled responses are not needed

Leaders deal with leaders regardless of whether they're liked or disliked. Until something changes, Mubarak is who we're dealing with. Have you considered the downside of your suggestion? The last thing we need is to send the message that we're ready to abandon our allies when the going gets tough. Obama is handling things exactly the way he should, delicately. How useful will we be to the people of Egypt if we push so hard, we create a hostile rift?

[oberliner]

13. He's gone

No public statement from Obama necessary.

[Ken Burch]

14. And thank Allah he is!

Let's hope no trickery now occurs to deny the Egyptian people the full democracy they're entitled to.