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International News Title: Mubarak Strikes Back: Thugs Attack 1:15 pm: Supposedly, talks are going to be held between Vice President Omar Suleiman, the former intelligence chief appointed by Mubarak this week, and representatives of the opposition groups opposing Mubarak. But I’ve seen nothing to indicate that any talks have started. Meanwhile, Mohammad ElBaradei, the former IAEA chief who’d lead the talks for the opposition, said that he has proof that the thugs attacking protesters are police. And he called on the army, which has so far stood by idly as the thugs went on the attack, to intervene. 1:05 pm: The forces of reaction are mobilizing across the board to prevent revolution in Egypt. Not only is Mubarak, apparently with military support, ordering a violent crackdown, while John McCain warns darkly of a Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy, but now Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel is pretty much accusing Iran of behind behind the Egyptian revolt. Said Netanyahu: 12:55 pm: The State Department does a little better than the White House in condemning the attacks on peaceful protesters in Egypt, but still it avoids mentioning what appears to be police and army complicity. Said P.J. Crowley: 11:55 am: Egypt’s defiance of both the protesters and world public opinion is now complete. The foreign ministry has issued a statement rejecting calls by President Obama and others for a “transition.” Reports VOA: “The ministry released a statement Wednesday saying the aim of the calls from ‘foreign parties’ has been to ‘incite the internal situation in Egypt.’41;” 11:45 am: The White House has issued the following, rather lame, statement on the violence perpetrated by Mubarak’s thugs: “The United States deplores and condemns the violence that is taking place in Egypt, and we are deeply concerned about attacks on the media and peaceful demonstrators. We repeat our strong call for restraint.” 10:30 am: Clearly entering the fray on the side of Mubarak’s thugs is John McCain, according to Fox News, when McCain appeared on Sean Hannity’s gabfest: “ElBaradei is not a friend of the United States. [He] could be a figurehead for the Muslim Brotherhood, since he has no real following in Egypt, he’s lived most of his life outside of Egypt.” 10:25 am: In his brief address last night, President Obama declared that a key principle going forward in Egypt must be nonviolence. Said Obama: “First, we oppose violence. And I want to commend the Egyptian military for the professionalism and patriotism that it has shown thus far in allowing peaceful protests while protecting the Egyptian people. We’ve seen tanks covered with banners, and soldiers and protesters embracing in the streets. And going forward, I urge the military to continue its efforts to help ensure that this time of change is peaceful.” But the bloodshed today in Cairo makes a defiant mockery of Obama’s call to avoid violence. By all accounts, both the police and the army are standing by as thousands of thugs—as many as 3,000, according to one report, in an organized phalanx—attack protesters. Just as Prime Minister Netanyahu thumbed his nose at Obama when the president asked Israel to stop its settlements in the West Bank, Mubarak is thumbing his nose too, at Obama. 10:10 am: Opposition figure Mohammad ElBaradei, who’s been designated by a ten-member committee of the opposition to Mubarak as its leader, blasted the regime for its “scare tactics” by a “bunch of thugs” after gangs attacked protesters in several Egyptian cities: “I’m extremely concerned, I mean this is yet another symptom, or another indication, of a criminal regime using criminal acts. My fear is that it will turn into a bloodbath.” 9:20 am: CNN reports that Egyptian media is calling the thugs who attacked protesters in Tahrir Square “pro-stability forces.” In his speech last night, in which he defiantly promised to stay on as president, Mubarak said that the choice for Egypt was a “choice between chaos and stability,” and he added: “I am absolutely determined to finish my work for the nation in a way that ensures its safekeeping.” “You are the ones able to restore normal life. Your message was received and we know your demands. We are with you and for you.” 9:00 am Reports AP: “Several thousand supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, including some riding horses and camels and wielding whips, attacked anti-government protesters Wednesday as Egypt’s upheaval took a dangerous new turn. In chaotic scenes, the two sides pelted each other with stones, and protesters dragged attackers off their horses.” 8:45 am: Things got ugly in Egypt today: the Egyptian army, which has so far held off on any actions against the protesters in the streets, told the demonstrators to go home. President Mubarak, who listened politely to President Obama for 30 minutes yesterday, simply ignored Obama’s advice that he ought to leave “now,” saying that he’ll stick around to oversee the “transition” though he won’t run again. And in the streets, in Tahrir Square, gangs of thugs armed with knives and clubs, some on horseback, have charged into the assembled crowds, with countless casualties.
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