Like many of you I have been riveted by the coverage of the revolution is Egypt. The last eighteen days have been exciting, sometimes frightening and ultimately joyful.
There is a lot to say and in the coming days it will be said (and hopefully some of it by me, here) but the most important thing to say right now is:
Today Egypt is free.
Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for the last three decades with the support of the United States, at the expense of the Egyptian people, has been forced out of office by his own people. For the last eighteen days Egyptians from all walks of life--men and women, Copts and Muslims, professionals and working people, flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square and demanded Mubarak's ouster. And when he-- predictably-- resisted they would not take no for an answer.
The Obama Administration-- predictably-- hedged it's bets until the last second with Biden delivering the veiled threats and Obama weighing in after the fact with an Inspiring Message of Support™.
The US media has-- predictably-- trotted out a seemingly endless supply of old white guy "experts" (former ambassadors, Middle East commentators, pundits etc.) on the Left and Right who have publicly speculated over the impact of the Egyptian Revolution on US and Israeli interests.
The US Christianists and Zionists (and Christian Zionists) are-- predictably-- shitting their pants at the prospect of millions of Arabs united for a common purpose.
But the facts cannot be denied: a leaderless revolution (the best example of --gasp-- anarchism at work in modern memory) that employed social media creatively has ended the reign of one of the worst autocrats of the last century. And today Egypt is free.
Free.
That is enough for now.
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