surprised he would say this

Not surprised he would think it, just surprised he would say it:

“In a sign of the tension, American officials described as ‘unacceptable’ statements by Mr. Suleiman that the country was not ready for democracy, but showed no sign that they had shifted away from supporting him, a man widely viewed here as an heir to Mr. Mubarak.”

I’m glad they called it unacceptable, and hope there are pressures to match the words.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the past two weeks has been the contempt shown toward Egyptians by their leaders. “You don’t understand our culture. There would be chaos without me.” That sort of thing. Is there such a concept as “self-hating Orientalism”? Though I doubt the feelings are even sincere.

I think the courage and mostly excellent behavior under fire shown by the Egyptian populace, along with their consistent ability to out-govern the government on the neighborhood level, shows that they are more than “ready” for democracy. They deserve more respect from their leadership than that.