The U.S.does not walk on a "tightrope in Egypt," contrary to what we hear in news reports. The U.S. is squarely determined to salvage Mubarak at any cost. And this is also demanded by Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan and some Gulf states who fear they might be next. King Abdullah of Jordan dismissed his government today, and ordered reforms to preempt any uprising in his kingdom! That is why the U.S. wants a Mubarak-led devolution. Just rush in some cosmetic reforms to placate the crowds, but keep Mubarak firmly in control of Egypt. The U.S. knows that it cannot find another Egyptian leader that will put the U.S. and Israel's interests above Egypt's - as Mubarak has done for 30 years! The Muslim Brotherhood in both Egypt and Algeria had come close to win the elections in both Egypt and Algeria, but their pro -U.S. government cancelled the elections and banned them at the urging of the U.S. The possible resurgence of Muslim groups terrifies the U.S. because it knows it won't be able to control them!

The Egyptian revolution is the result of 30 years of Mubarak's repression and blatant corruption in Egypt with U.S. blessing. And the U.S. affinity of declaring any Muslim opposing U.S. control of their country as terrorist, jihadist or Al Qaeda associate, has turned the Muslim psyche into an anti-American boiling cauldron worldwide. It is just so offensive to their human dignity. Even Turkey, our ally, has had enough with the wholesale view of every Muslim as backward camel drivers or terrorists, and it has decided to establish its own foreign policy in Middle East by shifting away from it previous support of the U.S. and Israel. Today, Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan made this statement: "No government can survive against the will of its people. The era of governments persisting on pressure and repression is over. . . . We are all passing, and will be judged on what we leave behind." (L.A. Times, Feb. 1, 2011)
The U.S. doesn't want democratic regimes in any Arab country, because no Arab leader who is close to the U.S. will ever be elected in such elections. The U.S. can control the Arab territories and its oil wealth only with despotic dictators whom it helps to brutally suppress their people. And that is why the U.S. is rushing to save Mubarak. It knows that if there are free elections, no U.S. puppet like Mubarak has a chance of winning. Syrian president Bashar Assad reflected on that view and laughed yesterday when he was asked by the Wall Street Journal (Jan. 31, 2011) if he is concerned about an uprising in Syria. "No. he said." The government of Syria represents the beliefs of the Syrians. Countries with problems [Egypt], have governments that represent other interests [U.S./Israel] not those of the people. And Iran, whether you like it o not, is what it is, and it will stay that way."

And that is why the U.S. has already decided to stay firm with Mubarak, while it will publicly continue to rehash its phony concern for the Egyptian people. The U.S. sees the Egyptians as hostile to the U.S. control of their government, and of the U.S./Israel hegemony in the Middle East. But it continues its hypocritical support of the people - just in case Mubarak is ousted, to claim that the U.S. was on their side all along! Will the U.S. fool 85 million people? Well, the fools are in the White House. We went to Iraq, destroyed it, killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and made 4 million of them refugees to take out an enemy dictator - Saddam Hussein. Is it moral and ethical to protract the suffering of the Egyptian masses in order to save our own puppet dictator? Demonstrators in Cairo square today called Mubarak "a snake!" (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 1, 2011)

That is what creates hatred around the world against us, and that is what fuels the terrorism against us. Finally, a thank you to the Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan whose statement today was an indirect in-your-face rebuke to the U.S. affort to salvage Mubarak. Nikos Retsos, retired professor