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The 30,000 which showed their support today, I can assume are unarmed. This creates a problem of real proportions. The like minded, in the Arab world, and our like minded in D.C. have been arming as quickly as can those who are like minded, or so it would seem. People are dying, and escalation is probable. Am not defeated on this matter, instead will ask two questions.

Due to the lay of the field before us, and the armed factions increasing each day (being radical), along with the choice or not of choosing to arm those in those countries who support us and perhaps creating a true Arab Spring where those who support us are given their chance, does anyone think it can be achieved without arming people such as the 30,000? What do we do if the 30,000 are a ruse, we arm them, and they return the favor by handing their weapons over to the radicals. I truly don't know where I would turn if I had to make this decision.

Well, that is the quandary isn’t it.

Was helping the Al Qaeda leaning rebels in Libya and Egypt a good thing?

Why wasn’t it a good thing to back the folks in Iran, when they were demonstrating a desire for a change away from an Islamic state status? That would have cut a lot of ties to the rebels across the region, not to mention Syria, an Iranian puppet state for all intents and purposes. It would have cut the supply line to Hezbollah, Hamas, and probably Al Qaeda too.

Ghadaffi and Mubarak weren’t perfect. Mubarak had been a reasoned ally of ours for decades. We sold him out in minutes.

What does that say to others contemplating being our ally?

I don’t think the new governments in Egypt or Libya have absolute control of militias within their borders. Militia activity in the Sinai may have been a real concern to Egypt recently.

These are very complex issues. I don’t honestly have an answer to all the problems that resulted from the destabilization of the Arab Spring. I’m not convinced we or Egypt or Libya are better off today. In fact, I’m certain we are all a lot less safe.

We had enemies before. Those enemies were out in the open, and for the most part moderating their actions. Now we have a multitude of unknowns. Who is the good guy? Who is the bad guy?

How do we arm some and not others. Who knows? This is why I was not a big fan of the Arab Spring.

Well, we’re stuck with it now, and it will probably be decades before we come anywhere near the regional norm we saw dissolve this year and last.