The back-channel negotiations between U.S. and Egyptian officials are now out in the open, and we have to say they look much better in the light of day.
The last thing Egypt or the United States needs is for it to appear that we are trying to anoint a successor to President Hosni Mubarak. In fact, the only thing worse would be if Mubarak steps down and the Obama administration actually did try to name his successor.
At a news conference Friday, President Obama seemed to show that he understood both issues.
Obama didn’t explicitly call for Mubarak to step down, although he did nudge the door to the presidential palace ever wider, saying again that the time to begin the transition toward free elections is “right now.”
But if it was clear that Mubarak must go, it was also clear that Obama needed to ensure everyone that America’s role would be limited. “The future of Egypt,” he said, “will be determined by its people.”
No one can pretend to know what that future might look like. There’s no history of democracy to offer any guide. There’s reason to worry about the relative strength of the Muslim Brotherhood. There’s reason to believe any candidate thought to be an American puppet couldn’t win in Egypt.
What we know is that the days of protest have narrowed Mubarak’s choices. And the events on the ground — with the attacks on protesters, the media and human rights workers — left Obama with no choice at all but to speak up.
“In light of what’s happened, going back to the old ways is not going to work,” Obama said at the news conference. “Suppression is not going to work, violence is not going to work. The only thing that is going to work is moving to an orderly transition process, right now.”
It has been reported that the Obama administration is working with Egyptian officials and military to find a way for Mubarak to step aside.
Late Friday afternoon, there were reports of a meeting scheduled today between Vice President Omar Su- leiman and several opposition leaders. Some of those reports suggest that Mubarak could stay on as president in a figurehead role until the September elections.
For the people in Tahrir Square, where many thousands had gathered for what they were calling the Day of Departure, there were chants of “We’re not leaving. You’re leaving.”
Mubarak hadn’t left by day’s end. And many of the arrested human rights activists were still missing. Still, there were signs of progress.
Gen. Mohamed Tantawi, the defense minister, came to the square to inspect the troops, who were keeping the pro-Mubarak thugs from entering. And Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, came to the square to meet with protesters.
Both were roundly cheered.
Moussa is among those mentioned as a possible candidate to run in an election to succeed Mubarak.
Like any good politician, he was trying to position himself on the right side of history. And — in another hopeful sign — on the right side of the voters.
