Did Mubarak Thread the Needle?

Asks Robert Stacy McCain on Twitter, with a link to his piece at American Spectator. Folks can read the essay, as well as the additional comentary at The Other McCain. But as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words. And if this one's any indication, at New York Times, I'm thinking Mubarak's not too deft with the sewing gear. And from the Times:

CAIRO — President Hosni Mubarak announced that he would not run for another term in elections scheduled for the fall, appearing on state television to promise an orderly transition but saying he would serve out his term. In comments translated by CNN, he swore that he would never leave Egypt but would “die on its soil.”



Television cameras showed the vast crowds gathered in Tahrir Square in central Cairo roaring, but not necessarily in approval. The protesters have made the president’s immediate and unconditional resignation a bedrock demand of their movement, and it did not appear that the concession mollified them. Reports said that thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square chanted "Leave! Leave!" after the speech.



Mr. Mubarak’s announcement came after President Obama urged him not to run, effectively withdrawing America’s support for its closest Arab ally, according to American diplomats in Cairo and Washington.

RTWT.



I have lots more commentary and analysis planned for later, so check back.