Madmen and Madwomen

In today’s [Feb. 9, 2011] NY Times there is an article entitled “Mideast Allies Favor Stability Over Immediate Change in Egypt, Diplomats Tell U.S.” And in this article it is asserted that this diplomatic pressure “is paying off” as the U.S. has said that it is supporting “an ‘orderly transition’” in Egypt, one managed by Vice President Suleiman. Hilary Clinton, the Sec. of State, has said that Mubarak’s resignation “might complicate rather than clear Egypt’s path to democracy.”

What are these but dreams of mad men and women? When has the “path to democracy” from tyranny been uncomplicated? After the American Revolution? After the overthrow of Communism in the Soviet Union? After the French Revolution?

The question is a simple one: What world are these diplomats and secretaries of state and vice presidents living in, because it surely is not the one I live in?

And one more question: Is it wise or even prudent to trust a dictator or two dictators [Mubarak and Suleiman] to “transition” to democracy? Isn’t this a lot like trusting the fox to guard the chicken coop?

So, if you want an illustration of the delusions or illusions that our leaders suffer from, you should just keep your eyes on Egypt and their attempts to put “the genie back in the bottle,” a bottle by the way that they created for the sake of “stability” in the first place. Hey, what’s that common saying that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?” I agree but would only change the word “insanity” to “normality:” Normality is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.