Egypt's generals impose martial law

The Washington Post ^ | Sunday, February 13, 2011 | Craig Whitlock and Sudarsan Raghavan

[MinorityRepublican]

tensions flare as military evicts protesters in Tahrir Square.

CAIRO - Egypt's generals imposed martial law on Sunday, dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution, moves that many of the protesters who helped topple President Hosni Mubarak said were necessary to excise a rotten form of government.

The sweeping actions appeared to have their desired effect of calming the national mood. Under a celebratory facade, Egypt has remained on edge since Mubarak was forced to abdicate Friday, as uncertainty grew over the revolution's next stages.

In a written communique, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, led by Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi, said the military rule was temporary and would last until elections are held, possibly as soon as six months from now. A new set of guiding laws will be drafted by an appointed committee and made subject to a referendum, the military chiefs said.

The parliament disbanded by the military had been a rubber-stamp body dominated by ruling-party members who prevailed in rigged November elections. The constitution had also been skewed heavily in favor of Mubarak's regime.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Mark Levin said Mubarak was the military and the military was Mubarak. He was a general and the only thing that has happened is that one general has been replaced with several generals.

[ColdOne]

No matter what the left says. This isn’t going to end well. Not at all.

[editor-surveyor]

A ‘new’ general will ‘win’ the election...

[varina davis]

Agreed. Folks should be careful what they wish for.

[Outlaw Woman]

Gosh, it all sounds so democratic /s

[bareford101]

dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution, moves that many of the protesters who helped topple President Hosni Mubarak said were necessary to excise a rotten form of government.

---

suspending the constitution is part of getting rid of a previous “rotten form of government?”. In America, this surely would not happen... the only people who want to suspend the Constitution are the enemies of America in DC

[Red Badger]

Meet the new boss!
The same as the old boss!
We won’t get fooled again!.......

[21twelve]

Reminds me of “Act III” of the old RUSH song Hemispheres:

I bring Laughter, I bring Music
I bring Joy and I bring Tears
I will soothe your primal fears
Throw off those chains of Reason
And your prison disappears’

The cities were abandoned
And the forests echoed song
They danced and lived as brothers;
They knew Love could not be wrong.

(”ACT IV” is titled Armageddon)

[Free Vulcan]

They can’t suspend the Constitution. They can try, but doing so would effectively make any claim to authority null and void. It would be an illegal govt of no legitimacy with hostile intent, basically the equivalent of a foreign invading power.

[Kickass Conservative]

Wow, no mention of this during the 60 Minutes segment tonight, how shocking.

The Google guy that supposedly got the Egyptian protest going did thank Obama though.

We live in interesting times. A mystery man pretending to be a President gets all sorts of kudos for being a Moron.
Kind of reminds me of the movie “Being There”, except I liked the fact that Chauncey the Gardener was Clueless.

In real life, it isn't really working for me.

[MinorityRepublican]

That’s the best-case scenario actually. A general “winning” the election and is someone who the West and Israel can work with. Kinda like Mubarak.

[Outlaw Woman]

Interesting

[Mike Darancette]

In a written communique, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, led by Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi, said the military rule was temporary and would last until elections are held, possibly as soon as six months from now. A new set of guiding laws will be drafted by an appointed committee and made subject to a referendum, the military chiefs said.

If Bush were still President what do you want to be that terms like "Military Strongman" and "Junta" wouldn't be used?

[Nachum]

The list, ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/obamaegypt.htm

[21twelve]

Not so sure how interesting!? I liken a lot of OUR politics as a pendulum, and when it swings to the other side it usually swings way past in trying to find a “balance”. In most of these other countries it seems the pendulum swings right off the clock!

[dragnet2]

No matter what the left says. This isn’t going to end well. Not at all.

Yeah, but this time, maybe we should stay the hell out of Egypt's affairs and let the Egyptians deal with it...

[Fantasywriter]

Sounds to me like the article was written by a ‘reporter’ trying to cover Obama’s butt. No way are the people happy that martial law has been imposed. That defies logic.

[NVDave]

You know, that lyric (and a couple of Townsend’s riffs) echoed through my skull when I heard the news.

All I could think afterwards was “Well, kids, you certainly got what you wanted, didn’t you? Oh, this wasn’t what you wanted? Well, you should have thought of the possible outcomes before you started banging pots and pans demanding ol’ Hoz pick up and leave...”

I mean, WTF was going to happen? A jeffersonian democracy was going to suddenly pop up overnight when Hoz up and left?

Yea, right. Only the western press was stupid enough to believe *that*.

So what’s the going average time for a military junta? 3 to 4 years?

Or will they take their example from Uncle Mo next door? He and his boys have been running Libya since, what, ‘69?

[editor-surveyor]

Stop kidding yourself.

Obama and his cohorts have pushed the red button on the near east, ending what stability existed forever.