"It Must Begin Now."

Obama's speech did not exactly say Mubarak must go soon, but it certainly showed an impatience with the hang-on-till-September approach, and explicitly called for opposition participation in the transition. I think it was a judicious but firm statement, in a situation where the US is in a dilemma between seeming to be an unreliable ally and seeming to support a leader who has lost legitimacy. As I indicated in the previous post, whether Mubarak leaves now or later may depend on his willingness to accept a real process of change, not having a few constitutional amendments and promising elections in the fall.

His praise of the Army also shows the recognition that they, not the 82-year old President, will decide when he must go.