Obama Praises Tunisian Uprising, But Falls Silent On Egypt

Keep in mind that US President Barack Obama only began praising the remarkable events in Tunisia after the US-friendly ruling family had already fled the country.

Now Egypt is on the brink of a revolution. Massive protests fill the streets, the Mubarak regime responds by cracking skulls and shutting down access to Twitter, YouTube & Facebook.

Surely Obama would support people power against a state that has used never-ending 'Emergency Rule' powers to suppress dissent and legimate opposition for decades?

Surely?

Surely not :

On Tuesday, Obama called Mubarak; according to a White House "readout," they discussed "a broad range of issues, to include the New Year's attack on a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, developments in Tunisia and Lebanon, and how best to advance Middle East peace."

According to both the statement and my own sources, here is what the two did not discuss: the need for change of any kind in Egypt. This in spite of the fact that Mubarak just staged a rigged parliamentary election in which his opposition was systematically and sometimes brutally suppressed and has scheduled a similar presidential "election" for later this year that would extend his term in office -- and Egypt's political stasis -- for another six years.

By failing to mention reform, Obama effectively placed a public U.S. bet on Mubarak's ability to prevent any spread of Tunisia's unrest. According to the White House statement, the president "shared with President Mubarak that the United States is calling for calm and an end to violence..."

...observers in Egypt and across the Middle East were quick to get the message: Obama's support for "free and fair elections" does not extend to Egypt.