Mubarak’s Last Night: The Real Story

How many of my readers have seen the film Labyrinth?

The night before Hosni Mubarak resigned as President of Egypt, he gave a speech verifying his intent on staying in power. This was not supposed to happen. According to US officials, Mubarak went way off script of a carefully worded speech.

The Jerusalem Post reports: “The Egyptian president startled the Obama administration and many of his aides with an address in which he appeared determined to cling to office. In the end, Mubarak's efforts only ensured a hasty and ignominious departure, the officials said. Within hours of the speech, Egyptian army officials confronted the discredited president with an ultimatum: Step down voluntarily or be forced out.”

Egyptian officials informed their American counterparts of a plan by Egyptian military leaders that was "something between a negotiated exit and a soft coup d’état to relieve Mubarak of most, if not all, of his powers.”

This is why on the eve of Mubarak’s final speech the army told protesters that all of their demands would be met. These facts also explain why CIA Director Leon Panetta made a scheduled appearance before the House Intelligence Committee and said there was a "strong likelihood that Mubarak may step down [Thursday] evening." It is also why the Egyptian people never formally heard Hosni Mubarak resign.

According to these reports, if he did not resign, the military leadership would have forced him out and taken his place. Well, his Vice President announced Mubarak’s resignation and the military swiftly assumed his responsibilities as Head of State.

It does not seem as though Mubarak finally made the right decision and walked away from the seat of power he held for over 30 years. In all likelihood, the Egyptian army effectively forced him out of office but did a helluva good spin-job to ensure Mubarak got to leave with his head up. This might not be the official narrative coming out of Cairo, but with Mubarak’s “resignation” coming the night after his refusal to leave office, it makes a lot more sense.

A New Day in Egypt: L’chaim

In the words of Rachel Maddow, "This is Egypt’s Berlin Wall Moment."

As hundreds of thousands of Egyptians party in the streets over the ousting of former-President Hosni Mubarak, many questions are left unanswered. (Former?)-Vice President Omar Suleiman announced that authority of the country’s affairs was being transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. How long will they be the stewards of power, and or will they become the next despots?

Will the Egyptian people elect a secular leader like ElBaradei or will the Muslim Brotherhood hijack this revolution Ayatollah style?

Contrary to many fears, the peace treaty with Israel is likely to stay together. Whoever takes Mubarak’s place will depend upon the support of the armed forces and they will retain the peace.

The Egyptian Amy has never fared well against Israel. Even the 1973 war, which is a massive source of pride for the Egyptian’s, resulted in the Israeli Army miles from Cairo forcing the Egyptians to accept a cease fire. Nobody likes loosing and conflicts with their Israeli neighbor have always been destructive. However, Egypt’s Armed Forces have not had to suffer these consequences for over 30 years. Keeping peace that has allowed them to maintain their strength (and popularity) is the most sensible outcome.

In addition to the uncertainty facing Egypt, the fate of the Arab world is also in question. With protests in Yemen and Jordan already in action, will this amplify their efforts? Would revolutionary success on the Arabian Peninsula bleed into Saudi Arabia and possibly topple the House Of Saud?

Any of the above scenarios have the possibility of strengthening Iran by denying America a foothold in former allied nations. But this isn’t about the United States. Today is Egypt’s day: L’chaim

Bristol Palin For President?

How do you spell skank again?

The girl who made Sarah Palin a grandma told E! News she will “probably” run for office someday. "If I saw something that needed to be changed, then I would step up to the plate and do something about it," the ass-backwards abstinence advocate said.

As for her mother? "I think she would be a wonderful president, and I still think that she should run," Bristol said. "She's just so common-sense conservative….just, 'Here's what we've gotta do and this is how we're gonna do it,' and she brings a whole 'nother aspect to politics because she's a mom, because she runs a household, and I just think she's really smart." If being a mom qualifies someone for president, maybe we’ll see Bristol endorse Cindy Sheehan? Unlikely

Just trying to spell check the above paragraph confused Microsoft Word. God Help Us.

MUBARAK RESIGNS!

Breaking news and photo courtesy of CNN.com

SECOND UPDATE: It now appears that although Mubarak has resigned as leader of his party, he is retaining his position as Head of State. Smooth move buddy.

UPDATE: The Jerusalem Post has the full scoop!

This news literally just broke and there isn't much more I can tell you. I'll have more news as information disseminates. Something tells me this won't quell the violence we've seen on the streets of Cairo. At least not yet...

Chinese/American feud in Space

Although Ronald Reagan abandoned the Star Wars program in the 1980’s, technology has caught up, and according to Wikileaks, the U.S. and China are already beefing over alleged tests of space weapons.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the United States shot down an aging spy satellite as a show of strength, not because of a fear of its reentry into the atmosphere. In January of 2007, China shot down one of its own weather satellites 530 miles above the earth, and this freaked the U.S. out.

According to the leaked diplomatic cables, the American missile launch against our satellite was not about keeping it out of the atmosphere, but to show the Chinese that two can play the Star Wars game.

The Telegraph reports: “In secret dispatches, US officials indicated that the strike was, in fact, military in nature. Immediately after the US Navy missile destroyed the satellite, the American Embassy in China received ‘direct confirmation of the results of the anti-satellite test’ from the US military command in the Pacific, according to a secret memo. The strike marked the high point of tensions between Washington and Beijing over the issue of ballistic missile defense. The cables show that China was deeply concerned about America’s plans to place missile defense radars in Japan. Another document discloses that the US was allegedly developing an ‘airborne laser system’ to counter the threat from “Chinese military build up.”


In response to the report, the Pentagon released a statement Wednesday night saying: “The President's June 2010 National Space Policy requires the Dept. of Defense (DoD) to have a range of options and capabilities. Our overriding objective is to promote the peaceful use of space. The United States did not engage our own satellite to test or demonstrate an anti-satellite (ASAT) capability. The purpose was to prevent the satellite's hydrazine fuel from causing potential harm to life on the ground. To conduct this engagement, we had to make modifications to three sea-based missile defense interceptors, three ships, and the system's command and control software. We have not made these modifications to any other missile defense system, nor do we plan to. Our missile defense systems are not intended or designed to engage satellites.”


Oppenheimer tells us that science cannot be stopped, and given the heavy commercialization of space in the near-future, this technology is only going to evolve and proliferate. It’s doubtful that the Star Wars of our future will feature warp-drives or Wookie-sidekicks, but as the weaponization of our orbit moves forward, the idea of future conflicts playing out in the heavens will be far from science fiction.

Israeli/Egyptian Peace Treaty Violated… Sort of.

Israel has agreed to let Egypt raise their troop levels in the Sinai Peninsula in light of the protests that have dealt a potentially fatal blow to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Given the tense security situation on Israel's southern border, Egypt can add 800 soldiers to the Sinai Peninsula regardless of the stipulations of their peace treaty.

The past week of protests have resulted in prison breaks that have freed thousands of prisoners. Additionally, the influx of security forces to Cairo and Alexandria left the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip unpatrolled. Hamas operatives are reported to have broken into Egypt in order to assist the Muslim Brotherhood in their opposition to [former?] President Mubarak.

The late Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat worked with then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Peanut Farmer Jimmy Carter to build a peace between Israel and Egypt following four wars fought between the two sides. After conquering the territory in 1967, Israel returned the entirety of Sinai to Egypt in exchange for normalized relations, as well as a promise that the peninsula would remain demilitarized.

The 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, signed at the White House, has been respected for over 30 years. However, the Muslim Brotherhood has said their first order of business if swept into power would be ending the treaty. Given the political instability facing the most populated country in the Arab World, there is ample reason to assume the long-standing peace may be nearing its end.

Hamas Exaggerates Crisis in Egypt

Photo courtesy of AFP

I received the following alert from STRATFOR: “The Egyptian police are no longer patrolling the Rafah border crossing into Gaza. Hamas armed men are entering into Egypt and are closely collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood has fully engaged itself in the demonstrations, and they are unsatisfied with the dismissal of the Cabinet. They are insisting on a new Cabinet that does not include members of the ruling National Democratic Party.”

According to hospital reports, 31 deaths are confirmed from in Alexandria alone.

CNN’s Ben Wedemen is reporting that armed thugs are roaming the streets of Cairo and that a truck load of riot police leaving Cairo this morning “looked defeated.”

Following last nights announcement by President Hosni Mubarak that his government would resign (while he stays in power) word on the Egyptian street is that his speech was not met with anger, but with laughter. Mubarak’s move is highly unlikely.

As we speak, protesters are outside the United Stations in New York numbering in the thousands.

This crisis is far from over…