Tahrir Square. Cairo. 11 February 2011. People’s Uprising Topples Mubarak
"There is something in the soul that cries out for freedom. Those were the cries that came from Tahrir Square, and the entire world has taken note,” said President Barack Obama.
Obama’s eloquent remarks on the Egyptian uprising and Mubarak’s resignation were broadcast on Egyptian State TV.
"There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history. The people of Egypt have spoken. Their voices have been heard. Egypt will never be the same. This is not the end of Egypt's transition. It is the beginning," Obama said.
Referencing Martin Luther King, Obama added, “It was the moral force of nonviolence, not terrorism, not mindless killing but non-violence, a moral force that bent the arc of history toward justice once more."
Photo: AP/Washingtonpost.com
24 comments:
Too bad Obama waited so long and too bad the USA bankrolled the oppressive Egytpian regime for 30 years, guess they didn't hear those cries of freedom all this time eh?
I'm surprised no one has echoed Ahmedinejad's and Khameiniss well informed remarks as this resignation coinsides with the outset of the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Republic.(Sarcasm)
Honestly who are being fooled. This is the VP of the same administration, approved of by Israel.
Will the military have a large role ? Wasn't Hosni Mubarak from the military, didn't the military become a commercial industrial power under Mubarak. Aside from some nationalist unity I would say this has just been a tragedy that about 300 people shouldn't have had to die for.
The video that fueled the revolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pKAsxoNjMI&feature=player_embedded
What a brave and courageous woman Asmaa Fahmouz is.
Quoting Obama from a Wapo article is the type of judgement that opens this blog to suspicion and ridicule. The Obama White house tried and failed to install Mubaraks' torturer in chief, VP Biden declared on TV that Mubarak was not a dictator, Clinton called his kleptocratic dictatorship "stable"....and after the EGYPTIAN people overthrow this thug, through their own dogged determination, in the face of US fence sitting, and counter-revolutionary plots, this blog chooses to quote Obama!?
Who has done more damage to the Egyptian people, the Obama regime, or the Iranian govt? Who came out in support of the protesters first?
Aaaargh! Nader, stop seeing everything from this naive Western perspective.
The middle eastern people are taking control of their own destiny, they express themselves in their own words, from their own media, and they must be allowed to make their own mistakes.
Obama???! The Washington Post????
Disappointing.
This is great news for the region and bad news for the Zionists. Egypt must abrogate the humiliating "peace deal" and lift the savage seige of Gaza on US/Zionist behest. Congratulations to the Egyptians.
Gifted one,
I do believe Obama’s remarks were one of the best speeches I’ve seen on the subject. Please make sure to read it in full, in WashPost or in any other media, and send us a note on where you disagree with the content. Unless your disagreement is not with the speech but it is on ideological grounds. Then I assume it wouldn’t matter to you what Obama said, you will ask us to oppose it anyway.
The resignation of Mubarak is clearly an American exercise in damage control. Mubarak resigned as head of state but he is still the undisputed head of the powerful Egyotian army. And the egyptian army has assumed the mantle of state control. This simply means that nothin has changed. Who said 'the more things change, the more it remains the same"? This is subterfuge of the the most gigantic and dangerous kind.
Yep Nader,
I will agree with you, a fine speech indeed. There is one problem though. Are the Americans willing to walk the talk. Even the devil himself can praise God in the most sublime language but that does not mean that he has to believe what he himself is saying. When we consider Barack's previous exercises in verbosity we are impressed by his skillful use of double-speak. I do believe we are still waiting for the oft-promised change. I think your visit to a GOOD optometrist is long overdue as the occidental tint is wearing thin.
Congrats Egyptians... seek democracy, freedom, equality for all and be wary of any extreme muslim who wants to set your country back 1000 years.
Let the Egyptians be an encouragement to the Iranian people to oust Amadinejad and demand more freedom in Tehran.
Amadinejad is scared of the will of the Iranian people and unlike the Egyptian Army, the Revolutionary Guards have orders to kill any dissenters which is a reflection of how afraid Amadinejad is if people start to organize.
The evil, detested and murderous mullah regime in Tehran will ultimately fall and that too violently with every mullah hanged by his blood stained turban.
The day when the mullah regime will be toppled and the mullah criminals slaughtered is not far away.
Iran is not Egypt. Egypts army would not kill its own people.
Irans Revolutionary Guard would kill thousands to stop any uprising. This country is ruled by a bunch of Muslim terrorist.
If they killed half of the population, it would be ok, because they were not true muslims.
WOW this is getting really ridiculous... who can get the most fanboyish posts up fastest... then lets forget about bringing any info
Thank you Ironpen, I wonder why Nader finds this so difficult to understand.
Obama has a reputation for giving fine speeches, and delivering stirring rhetoric, even Clinton said so during the '08 campaigns. He talks the talk, but doesn't walk the walk. Which makes his speeches sound to the trained ear platitudinous, and opportunistic.
I would say that your failure to recognize this widely acknowledged Obama trait is a sign of YOUR deep commitment to US and Western ideology Nader.
Obama is trying to provide, and hijack, the soundtrack and narrative to a PURELY EGYPTIAN drama. And Nader you give him a platform to do so on your blog.
That's my problem.
Gifted one,
When this blog published the entire speech by Khamenei on Egypt, the aim was not giving him a platform, he has plenty of platforms and does not need ours. The goal was to tell the story and different takes on it by different people. And you did not protest that Khamenei doesn't walk the walk. If you recall, the Iranian leader supported the demonstrations in Egypt, but denied the same rights to his own citizens.
On Obama, I believe we need to support him on what he has said about Mubarak and what he is emphasizing about the change not ending by his resignation, but a beginning. This is a realistic and encouraging foreign policy toward Egypt, recognizing the realities on the ground, and a positive move by the administration to recognize the legitimacy of the people's uprising against Mubarak and his regime.
If Obama had taken an opposite course, namely supporting Mubarak, then I am sure you would have joined me in condemning his action. To be consistent, don't you think you need to support him now? Unless consistency in your view is opposing the US, no matter what the administration does. I don't think that way, and I do not apologize for it.
Nader
Obama did support Mubarak! He supported him to leave in September! Clinton called his dictatorship "stable", Biden said "he is not a dictator". You see what i meant about giving Obama a platform to set the narrative? It's happening already with your rewrite of very recent history!
The reason Mubarak isn't there now has less to do with what Obama SAID, than with what the Egyptian people DID.
What you don't seem to be willing to understand is that Obama SAYS, and DOES different and contradictory things. You seem to assume that he believes and does whatever he says!
The Iranian people did protest, with stalwarts of the regime, that have benefitted from occupying the highest posts in the land, amongst them. And as Mark has stated less of them died doing so than in Egypt.
Oh and btw, Clinton moaned about Iran becoming a military autocracy. Pray tell me, what is Egypt today?
One can question the sincerity of the Obama’s administration, but no person of culture and literacy can question the elegance of his speech and the eloquence with which it was delivered – even though it was probably written by a speech writer!
What a waste of talent having to put up with AIPAC "democrats" and Tea Party idiots!
Western hopes of calling this revolution a rap, now that Mobaraks gone will be torpedoed.
Mobarak was the Shah
Soleiman is Bakhtiar
The Generals are the Azharis s
Elbaradai will be the Bazargan
The brotherhood waiting like a surfer for the right wave.
If you ignore history, you are bound to be kicked in the groin again and again.
PS don't tell me its different, cause the Iranian revolution was also initiated by the young and the left.
Egypt is screwed and Israel more than Egypt in the long run
Iran is thank God now off the war mongerers radar.
illuminati
I don't think it is worth worryning about Egypt and who did what. Egypt will never be democtratic as the country lacks the culture and institutions to enable such a transition. All has happened is that the army has replaced its head. However, the positive outcome of this is that Iran is off the radar and more worries nearer home for both USA and Israel.
A weak and devided Eygpt serves Iran's interest for the same reason that a divided Iraq servers Iran. The more Arabs and jews start arguing and being occupied with each other, the better for Iran. In the long run it is in the strategic interest of Iran to see jews and arabs on each others' throat. Having strong Israel or for that matter any Arab country does not server Iran's interest. Iranian planners realise that and their current power projection through proxies in Lebanon and among Palestinians is a fascinating example of that.
Iran needs to eliminiate the threats from Jundullah and other terrorists from Pakistan and Afghanistan plus the ones supported and paid by Saudi Arabia and others in Persian Gulf.
Failure to grasp the consequences of history can lead to empty soliloquy: “It was the moral force of nonviolence, not terrorism, not mindless killing but non-violence, a moral force that bent the arc of history.” Mr. President, you are wrong! A minority cannot defeat the majority without force (cowboys and indians). Only an overwhelming majority can use non-violence to defeat an unjust minority. The examples are self-evident in Ghandi's India, Mandela's South Africa and Hosni's Egypt. But when fools have misapplied history (King's Civil Rights Movement in USA and “Green Movement” in Iran) they have failed to achieve their aims.
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