U.S. urges Egypt's Mubarak do more; envoy in Cairo

[riverwalker]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/01/us-egypt-usa-idUKTRE70R6A920110201
U.S. urges Egypt's Mubarak do more; envoy in Cairo
By Steve Holland and Andrew Quinn

WASHINGTON | Mon Jan 31, 2011

(Reuters) - The United States urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday to do more than name a new government in response to mass protests and sent an envoy to Cairo to reinforce the message.

Former U.S. ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner was on the ground in Cairo as U.S. officials sought to bring pressure on Mubarak without openly calling on him to step down.

Officials said the Egyptian government needs a path to a credible presidential election in September as part of an "orderly transition." Also needed are a lifting of emergency law and negotiations with a broad cross-section of Egyptians, including opposition groups, they said.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Wisner "has the opportunity to gain a perspective on what they're thinking and what their ideas are in terms of process that we've clearly called for."

(The weird thing is, this is the same Frank Wisner who wrote this article in 2005 praising Mubarak and the elections in Egypt in this article: "Frank Wisner: Presidential Elections Marked 'an Historic Day' in Egypt"
http://www.cfr.org/publication/8840/frank_wisner.html
I wonder if they sent him to give the news to Mubarak that it's over, a "it's not you it's me" break up note. Make Frankie do it, he made this mess, he can help clean it up. I think Mubarak steps down tomorrow)

[DURHAM D]

1. Ok - now things should start to move along pretty fast.

Keeping things up and running is essential so they need a transition plan. Hopefully that plan will be in place by tomorrow. Goodbye Mubarak.