Breaking News & LIVE THREAD- Egypt and Middle East

Various on the internet | 28 January 2011

[SE Mom]

From FOX:

DEVELOPING: Loud explosions and gunfire were heard in the Egyptian capital of Cairo Friday, as protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak defied a curfew, Al Jazeera reported. Egyptian television reports the ruling party headquarters in Cairo are on fire.

From TWITTER:

WashingtonPost: Clinton: We urge #Egypt authorities to allow peaceful protest, reverse unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communications less than 20 seconds ago

[CynicalBear]

My take on this whole thing is that the WH is backing the takeover by Islamists. Mubarach is history.

[DoughtyOne]

I do. That was 1967, and the Seven-Day war. Egypt got it’s lunch handed to it. Israel took over the Sinai Peninsula and held up at the Suez Canal.

We’re coming up on 44 years in June (I believe) since that war. Since then Israel and Egypt have signed agreements and have become fairly decent neighbors.

If war broke out between Syrian, Lebanon, and Jordan, I wouldn’t be naive enough to be surprised to see Egypt enter in. You deal with the cards you’re handed, and Egypt has had a fairly reasoned government for a number of decades.

That doesn’t preclude it from being problematic in extreme circumstances.

[dforest]

Another thing. How hypocritical Gibbs is. He is FOR what they want to deny us here.

He cannot make this argument and be intellectually sound.

[Gabrial]

PressTV also reporting 11 dead in Suez

[roses of sharon]

# Al Jazeera breaking: Tensions escalate in Meydan Tahrir in Cairo, vehicles heading to protect US & UK Embassy. #Jan25 4 minutes ago via web

# @BaselAnabtawi thanks bro. you’re v kind 5 minutes ago via web in reply to BaselAnabtawi

# Mostafa El Fekki on Al Jazeera “It’s clear that the US has changed its policy towards Egypt. The White House no longer believes in Mubarak “ 6 minutes ago via web

[PIF]

Methinks we are witnessing the dawn of the PostMubarak era.

==

and the rise of the Umma, along with the next world war: the first nuclear war.

[ishmac]

I thought Hillary was all about the 3am phone calls.

I always laughed at that ad. Hillary was no more ready to take the 3AM phone call than Zero, but there she was complaining about his fecklessness. Pretty rich coming from Hilly, someone who had just been completely blindsided by Zero's caucus strategy

[Straight Vermonter]

This afternoon’s “document drop” oughtta be a beaute!

I hadn't even thought of that!

[mewzilla]

After Egypt, Will U.S. Get 'Internet Kill Switch'?

[ColdOne]

Yes I totally agree. Clear as day after that presser.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I had forgotten UAR. Nasser was President of UAR.

[Of course, I was in the 11th grade when Nasser died. [UAR, Egypt, same difference. IOW, life was all about my own little world back then. :-) ]

[DoughtyOne]

Isn’t that the truth! Mubarak would be a fool to turn on the internet so that these activists could network to take him down. And Gibbs doesn’t grasp that at all.

[roses of sharon]

Al Jazeera speaks to Ahmad Kelani, spokesman of @ElBaradei party “There is no longer an Egyptian regime. Now we have moved into a new phase” less than 10 seconds ago via web

[Smogger]

Obvious that it’s ok to this admin that Egyptian govt can fall if it means Egyptians get to twitter.

Again, I fail to see how shutting off the Internet accomplishes anything but pissing people off. In fact the Al Jazeera correspondent in Egypt just said that things quickly escalated after that.

[Carling]

That’s exactly what I gathered from Gibbs’ comments. The way he kept speaking for “the people of Egypt” was disgusting and patronizing, IMO.

Not to mention our President is apparently in hiding while his #1 Muslim ally is being forced from power. I wonder if Barry is having some sort of nervous breakdown? It wouldn’t surprise me.

[Never on my watch]

Even funnier, they both are holding the 3 a.m. phone and are dumbfounded.

[Art in Idaho]

"Thank God all this crazy communism is defunct! The people who founded it are on history's ash heap. We buried them."

I am astonished every day that within twenty years after that last border patrol, we have to fight a neo-Marxist in the White House, knowing that about 40% of America thinks he's doing a good job!

Why I lose sleep at night. We have a double problem - the neo-Marxixt in the WH and the 40% who think he's doing a good job. We have a lot of work to do. . .

[JimSEA]

Same here. Sadat changed the game and was killed for it. On today’s fiasco of Gibbs briefing, the Muslim Brotherhood organized and supported this demonstration. The demonstrators welcome the Army. Speaks volumes to me.

[DoughtyOne]

No doubt. Good point.

[Helen]

Agreed. Don’t know how there can be any other conclusion.