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So Hillary and Clinton and Robert Gates are arranging or trying to arrange Hosni Mubarak’s immediate departure. The New York Times and the Guardian both have good accounts. From the Guardian: But behind-the-scenes the Obama administration is in contact with Egypt’s most senior military commanders as well as those politicians under Mubarak discussing a plan in which the Egyptian president would stand straight away. Earlier, Suleiman offered political concessions, inviting the long-banned Muslim Brotherhood to a dialogue. However, the Islamist movement and other parties have refused to talk until Mubarak steps down. The Egyptian regime appeared to have dug in today, defying international pressure to begin an immediate transfer of power while launching attacks on journalists and human rights observers, a move condemned unreservedly by the US. Well, it’s the right thing to do under the circumstances. The preference would have been that Mubarak leave without this push, because it would have been cleaner if US didn’t have to be involved here this directly. Obama said in both of his public statements, and Robert Gibbs repeated, that it wasn’t the US’s place to decide on other countries’ regimes. But I guess inevitably it is the US’s place to do exactly that, at least in this case. It’s better than not doing it, especially with signs over the last two days that Mubarak and his cronies were willing to resort to violence to hold onto power (today in Tahrir Square, the army kept the pro-Mubarak demonstrators out, according to Al Jazeera English, which I’ve been watching this morning). Assuming Mubarak does take the hint now, for better or worse now, Obama will “own” Egypt. As of today, the US has taken a more direct role here than it ever did, say, in 1989, when George H.W. Bush and Jim Baker largely stood back and watched. Now, Obama and Clinton and Gates and Joe Biden have committed the US firmly to the post-Mubarak era. If eight months from now, after the elections, there’s a democratic regime and a new openness in the country, then that’s great. Obama is a world hero. And if the democratic fever spreads, then he and his aforementioned team are some of the greatest Americans of all time. But what if…I’m far from sanguine about the Muslim Brotherhood. They can’t in the short term be excluded from the process. But what if eight months from now Egypt is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that reneges on the peace with Israel, and the new leader visits Tehran and poses with Ahmadinejad? The risk had to be taken under these circumstances. But risk it is. So we’ll just have to see. Sorry about the lack of posting yesterday. But I’m back in the saddle today. A new quiz will be up later today. Also a video, shot yesterday, featuring a little (now mildly outdated) Egypt musing plus reflections on John Hunstman and Sarah Palin and most notably my Super Bowl prediction, for which you’ll have to watch to the bitter end! Obama administration Egypt Hosni Mubarak Michael Tomasky guardian.co.uk