Obama Welcomes Egypt's "Transition": A "Transition" to What?

Speaking from the White House yesterday, President Obama stated:

"There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place. This is one of those moments. This is one of those times. The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same. By stepping down, President Mubarak responded to the Egyptian people's hunger for change. But this is not the end of Egypt's transition. It's a beginning.

. . . .

For Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U49KdytP9yk

"Change"? "Transition"? "Genuine democracy"? Yeah, right, in a country where 95% of its Muslims believe that it is good that Islam plays a large role in politics (http://pewglobal.org/2010/12/02/muslims-around-the-world-divided-on-hamas-and-hezbollah/).

Mubarak also disagrees with Obama. In a telephone discussion with Israeli Member of Knesset Benjamin Ben-Eliezer on Thursday, Mubarak took issue with Obama's optimism:

"He had very tough things to say about the United States," said Ben-Eliezer, a member of the Labor Party who has held talks with Mubarak on numerous occasions while serving in various Israeli coalition governments.

"He gave me a lesson in democracy and said: 'We see the democracy the United States spearheaded in Iran and with Hamas, in Gaza, and that's the fate of the Middle East,'" Ben-Eliezer said.

"'They may be talking about democracy but they don't know what they're talking about and the result will be extremism and radical Islam,'" he quoted Mubarak as saying.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/mubarak-slammed-u-s-in-phone-call-with-israeli-mk-before-resignation-1.342831

Who is right, Obama or Mubarak? Is Egypt fertile ground for democracy? You need only read my earlier blog items concerning Egypt's swelling population, poverty, illiteracy and majority views which demand stoning for adultery and death for apostasy, in order to understand my expectations.

Obama has lost Egypt to the Muslim Brotherhood, and although it may not occur overnight, it's coming. He has lost Lebanon to Hezbollah. He is losing Jordan. He failed to seize the opportunity to encourage meaningful "change" in Iran, and he is apt to lose the Gulf States as well.

We are witnessing indecision and naivete from the White House, which I have never seen in my lifetime. "History taking place", or perhaps the "perfect storm"?