If Egypt can shut down the Internet and disable texting, you know USG could do the same here. I suspect procedures are already in place, waiting for the decisions. Will be interesting to see if there are any leaks in the electronic blackout.

Retired Mainframe maven, active curmudgeon, poet, writer.

dpa/M&C

By Mike McCarthy Jan 28, 2011, 2:19 GMT

Washington - The ongoing political unrest in Egypt has put US President Barack Obama and his administration in a bind, as they try to support the reform movement but without harming ties with a critical ally in the region.

The mass protests that have engulfed Egypt seeking to oust President Hosny Mubarak, whom the United States views as a critical partner for peace in the Middle East and on other important issues. Under Mubarak, Egypt became one of only two Arab countries to recognize Israel, and his government receives billions of dollars of US aid.

On the other hand, Mubarak's 30 years of autocratic rule and refusal to introduce real political, economic and social reforms to improve the lives of Egyptians symbolizes what the US believes is a fundamental problem in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said as much earlier this month. While in Qatar, Clinton warned that people in the Middle East were growing tired of a 'stagnant political order,' and that the region's 'foundations are sinking into the sand.'

'Those who stick to the status quo may be able to hold back the full impact of their countries' problems for a little while, but not forever,' she said.

The White House has been carefully expressing support for the protestors to peacefully demonstrate and demand the rights for 'universal' freedoms, as it has with Tunisia and Yemen, but without endorsing the goal of ousting Mubarak. In fact, Clinton this week referred to Mubarak's government as 'stable.'

'This isn't a choice between the government and the people of Egypt,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs insisted Thursday.

Instead, the Obama administration sees the moment as an 'important opportunity' to implement reforms and respond to the demands of the Egyptian people. Obama said Thursday the protesters are expressing 'pent-up frustrations' and have 'legitimate grievances.'
'I've always said to (Mubarak) that making sure that they are moving forward on reform - political reform, economic reform - is absolutely critical to the long-term well being of Egypt,' Obama said in a discussion on YouTube.

But the Obama administration has been criticized for not more strongly backing the protesters and calls for Mubarak to step down. Among them is Mohamed ElBaradei, an Egyptian and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency who is seen as a potential challenger to Mubarak.
ElBaradei, writing in Newsweek before his return to Egypt, said it was too late to believe reforms were still possible under the 82- year-old Mubarak, who has held 'imperial power' for three decades and presides over a legislature that is a 'mockery.'

'Each day gets harder to work with Mubarak's government, even for a transition, and for many of the people you talk to in Egypt, that is no longer an option,' he said. He said he was 'flabbergasted' Clinton could refer to the government as stable.

From a practical standpoint, some believe Obama has perhaps gone too far in voicing support for the protesters, and has little choice but to stick with Mubarak for the time being. Leslie Gelb, a former State Department official and foreign policy expert, warned that any movement away from Mubarak could be a 'slide toward the unknown.'

'No one, no matter how well informed about Egypt, can divine what will happen to power within Egypt if the protesters compel concessions from the Mubarak regime, or, on the other hand, if Mubarak hangs onto power by using brutal force,' Gelb, writing online in the Daily Beast, said.

Gelb cautioned the removal of Mubarak could usher in a radical government to replace a pro-Western one. He pointed to the approach by Obama's predecessor, George W Bush, for free elections in the Middle East, only to see Hamas prevail in Palestinian balloting and the door open for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

'The White House will have to be forgiven for not knowing whether to ride the tiger or help put him back in a cage,' Gelb wrote.

Interactive map of recent food riots and price hikes.

I did inhale.

"Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things"

That was in response to the question: "Is Mubarak a dictator?"

So, if someone is an ally of ours, then it is not a dictator by definition?

Police have been joining protesters in droves, now calling on the Army to put aside arms and join them. I'd call that pretty decisive.

Protests in Lebanon, Yemen, and Jordan now. Hold on to your butts1

"I would not refer to him as a dictator." That's not saying "he isn't a dictator." ;)