Old War Horse...

What a sad situation. A man who insists he is a major force in Egypt's history, a narcissist who must have the last word, must control his own departure, must set the terms of where and when and despite hearing a resounding cry from millions to please Go, will not. So why not?

I think two things may be involved here. Firstly the US may not want his immediate departure, no matter what the public stance is today, it changes daily; US government is too concerned Muslim Brotherhood will jump in and there goes the neighborhood. They want to ensure Suez remains open and working and that Israel is not the final exist on the road to democracy.

Secondly, Mubarak is a no-neck stubborn egotist who is determined that what he considers he 'built' not be destoyed or erased, he wants a succession that will follow in his footsteps, retain a friendly relationship with the US and himself, keep the police as the intimidating force to control the hungry, unemployed masses and be sure the Army remembers who they are serving, its him and whomever his puppet is going to be. I still think Mubarak is under the delusion that he can set in place a faux government that will be in place until Gamal can return to assume his rightful place on the throne.

Scenes today of Egyptians carrying their children as they walk shoulder to shoulder, professors with street vendors, people carrying cartons of juice, food, water to keep up the strength of protesters and hearing that despite the cut off of rail transportation and all forms of communication, Egyptians walked from the countrysides to stand together in Tahrir. That's one hell of a walk.

It's easy to be an armchair general, but if this were my war I would tell the troops, dont retreat-at this stage of war, its do or die. Those who can't stay under those conditions, should go, but those who can stay to the end, must stay. Mubarak does not have the right to set the terms of his departure, he has not earned that as 99.9% of Egyptians will tell you. The other 1% of his cronies have become fat and rich along side from the funds sent by the US.
There is not a single reason with the goodness of the Egyptians, the intelligence and desire to strive forward that in 30 years nothing could be done to create a functioning infrastructure, sewers systems, food distribution etc.

He stated he is proud of his contributions to Egypt and will die in his land...his inability to listen to the demands of the people he was so proud of governing may lead to his dying in Egypt sooner than he plans.
May he live to be 120;-)