I was just away from electricity for a week, which means I entirely missed the build-up to today’s enormous, revolutionary protests in Egypt. As breathtaking as this is to see, it’s even more stunning to leave the wired world with authoritarian Egypt plowing along as it always has and then return to hear that Mubarak might be done for.

My first question upon hearing about all of this: What will Obama do?

Plenty of others have noted the bind he’s in—caught between the words of his Cairo speech and the Devil-You-Know deals the U.S. has been striking with Mubarak for decades. Today, he’s given the clearest indication so far that he’s standing by his words of June 4, 2009, which are worth re-reading as the events in Egypt unfold:

Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.

At present, Obama is only standing by these words via “back channel” messages and strategic leaks about the contents of those messages. That’s no small thing. But remember that September—the deadline that Obama has reportedly given Mubarak for stepping aside—is a long way off.

My guess is the protesters won’t want to wait that long, and when they hear that Obama’s now gently distancing himself from Mubarak they’ll want him gone immediately. Not in September. Today. And that desire is going to severely test Obama’s “we will support them” pledge in Cairo.

But if he’s going to make his speech into more than just words—to borrow a well worn phrase from the 2008 campaign—he’ll have no choice but to back the people’s time line, not a global realpolitik time line.

UPDATE: Talk of Mubarak addressing the nation soon.

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...

6 replies on “Just Words? As You Watch the Events in Egypt, Remember Obama’s Cairo Speech”

  1. Don’t be surprised if the fall of Egypt results in the fall of Cuba.

    One Dictator is much like another.

    People just want to be Free.

  2. I’m glad Obama isn’t publicly and loudly throwing himself in as an ally. I don’t think being the USA’s BFF is going to be a good thing in Egypt. The USA getting out of the way is a good thing. We just need to keep backing democracy rather than a particular party, leader, or “stability.”

  3. “I was just away from electricity for a week”.

    Are you seriously saying you let your city light bill lapse for several months to the point where they disconnected you?

  4. @3: Ha. No. Took a cheap vacation (electricity not included). But you’ve just given me an idea for an even cheaper (in the short term at least) vacation from electricity…

  5. Wait, you expect Obama might “stand by his words” because of how he’s reacting to a revolution in Egypt? Let’s look at the words.

    confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice;

    He immediately ignored that when he refused to even investigate the previous administration for authorizing torture. He continues to ignore “the equal administration of justice” by vigorously prosecuting whistle-blowers at a higher rate than the previous administration.

    government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people;

    Obama has invoked “state secrets” at least as often as the Bush administration. His administration’s reaction to Wikileaks illustrates exactly what he thinks about transparency in government.

    the freedom to live as you choose.

    Except if you want to get married and you’re gay. Unless you want to grow and/or smoke marijuana recreationally (like Obama used to!). Unless you’re an Afghan civilian who lives next door to someone we have to bomb because we’re pretty sure he’s a Taliban leader.

    Believing that Obama means anything he says is no different than thinking that Sarah Palin is a smart lady who’s speaking truth to power.

  6. Thank the stars we have a president like Obama at this moment in time. If it was one of the Bushs we would have seen the streets running with bood.

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