Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman has ticked off the Obama administration, but the White House is sticking to its position that he's in charge of the transition to a new government that it won't determine.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs made it clear at his daily briefing for reporters that the administration strongly disagrees with Suleiman's contention that Egypt isn't ready for democracy, calling them "particularly unhelpful comments." In the language of diplomacy, that's a major slam.
In case anyone doubted what that meant, Gibbs declared: "I speak for the president of the United States."
He went on to say, however, that disputes like that "can't be arbitrated by us."
"That's going to be determined by the reaction in Cairo and by the people," he said.
Gibbs also reiterated that the government must stop arresting protesters and journalists as a way to prove its commitment to "these important, real changes that demonstrate progress for the people.
