I gave these Egyptian protesters a lot more credit until I read this late-breaking development.
"The people ousted the regime," they're calling out in Tahir Square and all over Egypt without once considering that just because Mubarak scuttled out of Cairo it doesn't mean the regime has been toppled. Make no mistake about it: The regime is still very much in place and will get more support from the US than as if it had been toppled and an all-inclusive, multicoalition democratic government such as the one being formed in Tunisia was taking its place.
Mubarak left power in the hands of the military, which is always an ominous sign. Since the regime still retains iron-clad control over the "reform" process, how can the regime do this without the military that was still at least partially in Mubarak's corner?
They were crying tears of joy until Mubarak made his most recent speech and they found out he wasn't going, after all. Now that he's finally physically leaving the capital, they're crying tears of joy again. In a way, they're as bad as we naive and gullible Americans.
Suleiman, who as Vice President, was in the public eye for far less time than Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman, aka Octomom, apparently has joined the ranks of the unemployed that had been protesting the regime since late last month. He's been written completely out of the process, meaning that his installation as Mubarack's first vice president ever was a sham all along.
Mohamed elBaradei, Egypt's top political opposition leader, seems no closer to getting in the mix of things than he ever was. He still has virtually no standing with the US government that, until recently, backed their man Hosni.
Wake up, Egypt: There's no democratic reform in the works. Your country is now ruled by a collective military dictatorship and the corrupt, dictatorial government you think you toppled is still very much entrenched. You may very well have gone from the frying pan into the fire.
This is just the beginning, Egypt.
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