Mubarak’s true colors

Mubarak’s true colors

Dallas Morning News: The tyrant stood his ground Wednesday when Egyptian thugs plowed into protesters with whips, machetes, guns and Molotov cocktails and faced minimal resistance from government security forces. President Hosni Mubarak has deluded himself into thinking he can preserve his dictatorial power with force. His speech Tuesday, followed by the actions of his provocateurs Wednesday, show how badly Mubarak underestimates his opposition and the danger of outright civil conflict.

The Obama administration has understandable reasons for working behind the scenes to nudge Mubarak out. As events spiral out of control, though, Washington must eliminate any hint of continued tolerance.

Mubarak can no longer credibly claim that his continuation in power serves his nation’s best interests. Considering the brittle conditions on the streets of the Arab world’s most populous country, the last thing Egypt needed was the violence Mubarak backers unleashed.

The effect was to completely negate President Barack Obama’s message Tuesday praising the restraint and professionalism of Egypt’s military. Perhaps Obama was too diplomatic in calling for a transition to begin “now.” What Mubarak must hear from U.S. envoys is an unequivocal message that it’s over, and he must leave office immediately so that an interim government can put Egypt on a democratic path.

Mubarak undermines any effort toward an orderly transition when he claims, as he did Tuesday, that he must remain in office to prevent chaos and anarchy — then foments upheaval by releasing his violent supporters into the streets.

The fear is understandable that democracy could lead to government control by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. Election results that swept Islamists into power in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories lend credence to such concerns. That’s why the United States should work vigorously behind the scenes to win the opposition’s advocacy for constitutional changes prohibiting overtly sectarian parties from seeking elective office.