Obama Speaks on Mubarak's Announcement He is Retiring

President Mubarak announced today he will not be seeking re-election in September.  This seems to be good news as it will give some time for a peaceful transition.  While there are some pit falls since elections are not seven months there is time for bad elements to plan.  But, we can hope that it will also give some time for other forces to do the same.  I spoke with some friends last night who are Coptic Christians who immigrated here to the US two years ago.  They told me that the military is revered, and the leader may come from there and will more than likely not be overly militant if that is the case.  The military is much trusted by the majority of the population, unlike the police or the government. 

From the pictures I have seen the protests did include women who were not veiled, and most of the men didn't have the full beards that are common among militants.  Nor do we see the burning of American and Israeli flags so we may get a reasonably good outcome from this, and more importantly, maybe the Egyptian people will get a government that is more committed to human rights and will help lift the country out of poverty.  One would think with all the tourism there, they can find ways to generate an economy that creates some jobs and bring more people into the middle class if they choose to. 



I do have one question though, why do protesters in Egypt get a big shout out for wanting a more representative government and the Tea Party get called ungrateful?  I seem to remember him saying that I should be thanking him instead of protesting.  I also seem to remember his DHS sec. releasing a report saying I may be a domestic terrorist.  Just askin'.