The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Egypt: Crisis Averted? Obama’s Speech: Transition ‘Must Begin Now’ (VIDEO)

UPDATE 6:55 p.m. ET: OK, Obama just gave his speech, saying he had spoken to Hosni Mubarak and that the transition “must begin now.” Obama also spoke of U.S. support for Egypt in “the aftermath of these protests,” indicating that he thinks the protests are now in the past tense. The president looked somewhat angry. MSNBC […]

‘The Euphoria Is Fading’

So says Donald Douglas at American Power, whose initial optimism about democraticization in Egypt has been tempered by evidence that the anti-Mubarak protesters are influenced byIslamic radicalism, and that a post-Mubarak Egypt is therefore likely to be anti-Israel and anti-American. “Likely,” I say, and to say that is not to suggest the Egyptian unrest will certainly […]

Massive New Protests in Egypt

Photo: Khalil Hamra/AP via Toronto Globe & Mail “An estimated one million people have gathered in Tahrir Square . . .  fulfilling the hopes of opponents of Hosni Mubarak’s regime who wanted to make this the biggest protest since demonstrations began a week ago. Protesters believe this could be the last few hours of Mubarak’s rule, but […]

Your Daily Egyptian Update

The White House is trying to stay neutral: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that it is “not for me or our government to determine” whether Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak should leave office amid massive protests against his rule. Gibbs said the United States is “not picking between those on the street and […]

‘Regime Change’ in Egypt?

The stars appear to be aligning against Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Joe Biden’s early defense of Mubarak appeared to suggest that the Obama administration might support maintaining the status quo, but that has obviously changed with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now calling for “real democracy” in Egypt: Real stability only comes from the kind of democratic […]

‘Whose Bright Idea Was It to Send Joe Biden Out to Talk About Egypt?’

Question of the day, asked by Blake Hounshell of Foreign Policy in response to the latest eruption of Bidenism. “Asked if he would characterize Mubarak as a dictator Biden responded: ‘Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things. And he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interest in the region, […]

Jim Moran: ‘Raaaaacism!’

Smitty’s in Kabul, so it’s my job to keep you informed of the embarrassing shenanigans of his congresstool: Speaking to Arab television network Alhurra, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) said Republicans made big gains in November in part because “a lot of people in this country … don’t want to be governed by an African-American.” Even […]

No, Smitty Did Not Write a Novel

This headline could be unfortunately misleading: Revealed: Former McCain Aide Is Anonymous Author of ‘O: A Presidential Novel’ No, it wasn’t our loyal co-blogger, but rather a former aide to Senator John McCain who has been identified: It was obvious from skimming ‘O: A Presidential Novel,’ written by anonymous and published Tuesday after an intense […]

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