Mona Eltahawi and Bill Maher on Egypt's Revolt

The rollover, slamdunk election of Rahm Emanuel as Chicago's Mayor is a prime example of how free America is. 

We Americans do love our dictators and hard men.  

It is easier to let the hard men get on with it while we watch Super Bowls, drugged-out celebrities and dimwit politicians who claim to solve America's problems by restricting women's wombs, cleansing the country of immigrants and anyone who disagrees with them, returning to pre-Constitution days and becoming a fundamentalist Christian country.

They sputter meaningless static so that we never notice that they have bankrupted America, sold our debt to China and have surrendered us to the war gods (50% of America's budget is military and we try to balance our trade deficits by leading the world in arms sales).

Will Americans ever stand up for themselves, democracy, freedom and America? 

That is what democracy requires.  Freedom requires "eternal vigilance" and eternal readiness to fight.

Will Americans ever have the courage of the Tunisians, Sudanese, Jordanis, Yemenis, Iranians and Egyptians?

The Tunisians have ousted their dictator and frightened Egyptians still protest in the hundreds of thousands knowing that it is their last chance for freedom.

They have faced rocks, bullets and death in Tahrif Square and know they will be arrested, tortured, imprisoned and killed if their revolt against President Mubarek fails.

Meanwhile Mubarek refuses to leave with his $30-70 billion booty.  He has installed a Vice President for the first time in 30 years, the hated spy chief Suleiman, to 'talk' with the dissidents as Mubarek presides over the meetings.

President Obama and Secretary of State seem flumoxxed.  They are sending confusing public messages indicating they would prefer that Egypt stabilizes with Mubarek either staying or going. 

They are clearly happy with Suleiman whom they know well as the enforcer of America's 'rendition' program in Egypt (torture, interrogation and imprisonment of those the U.S. government thinks might be Islamic enemies of the United States).

Clinton sent an official envoy to the Egyptian government who lobbies FOR the Egyptian government in Washington, D.C., and is embarrassed by the criticism of the conflict of interest.

Obama and Clinton refuse to help the Egyptian people by pulling the $1+ billion yearly subsidy to Egypt until Mubarek goes and there are free and fair democratic elections.

Now the CIA is admitting that we have a serious Weapons of Mass Destruction problem in Egypt - weapons we gave Mubarek.

We will not solve that one with Mubarek, if the hints that he is blackmailing us with the WMD, are true. 

Perhaps reform leader ElBaradei can provide a solution having been the former head of the U. N. Atomic Commission, but no one owns him. 

Since he resolutely stood up to former President Bush over Iraq and Iran, he is not Washington's favourite.

Then again, Israel wants Mubarek to stay and Israel gets what Israel wants no matter how disastrous the outcome.

Pity the Egyptian people on the streets who know their fate if they fail to rid Egypt of its theives, torturers and warmongers.

Pity the Egyptian people who are at the mercy of impotent and conflicted foreigners.

Pity the Egyptian people as we betray them - and betray our democratic selves.

Susan's Views http://www.susansviews.com