IRAQ THE MODEL

Our friend, the Egyptian Sandmonkey thought for a while that Mubarak was changing:

Like many Egyptians who saw the frontpage of Alahram newspaper on Saturday, I was astonished to see the frankness and openness that President Mubarak used in his Interview with the Kuwaiti Newspaper "Siyasssah".......

Well, I was all excited and stuff because it meant that Mubarak is going to stop bullshitting us and start being more honest in his attacks and statements, which is something I really really would like to see.

however, soon he finds out that he was wrong about it:

I was wrong.

Today Al-ahram issued a retraction and a personal complaint from the President, who protested the publishing of the interview and claimed it misquoted him and was inaccurate and slanted. Chances are Al-Ahram didn't get the clearance from the President to publish the interview with all the "controversial"statements in it that we Egyptians were not supposed to read.

My predictions: Heads will roll in Al Ahram. Someone will get shafted. This is not something Mubarak is likely to forgive. you know?

My humble advise: Do not ever believe what a dictator says; one should either show absolute active defiance and accept the dangers associated with that or adopt the less risky road of passive defiance and rejection of the tyrant's policies and promises and either option is better than waiting-even for a second-for anything good to come from a tyrant because that would be just like fooling oneself.