Let us demand Mubarak's departure now...

After another day of mass demonstrations, notably in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez, dubbed the Friday of Anger and Freedom, there are indications that, in some areas, the police have begun fraternising with the protesters.
In Cairo, according to Ben Wedeman of CNN, the situation may have quieted down somewhat (a curfew has been declared throughout the country) because the security forces have vanished. Things have calmed down because there is no government here, he said.
Is the Mubarak regime imploding?
AlJazeera has been at the forefront of the media coverage of the Egyptian uprising. It also played a major role in facilitating the Tunisian revolution because of its comprehensive, ubiquitous coverage, and its willingness to broadcast independent videos of the demonstrations shot by the protagonists themselves.
One would have thought, if not hoped, that coverage of such momentous events, the revolt of oppressed peoples demanding freedom, justice and the right to earn a decent living would have inspired Western media, the BBC, France 24, CNN or Fox.
Alas, the most agressive and dynamic coverage was provided by a young upstart network from Qatar...
Yet, those demanding change and seeking to overthrow their autocratic and corrupt rulers are but appropriating those ideals we hold so dear.
Why, then, has our support for the oppressed been so timid?
Why have we been aiding their oppressors for so long, thereby betraying our own ideals, and prolonging the agony of the oppressed?
We are fighting for universal values, Mohamed ELBaradei, who returned to Egypt on Thursday in order to join the demonstators, and who appears to be currently under house arrest, told The Guardian.
If the west is not going to speak out now, then when?
That is a most relevant question.
What are we waiting for?
Shall we have to apologize to the Egyptians, the day they wrest their freedom from Mubarak, for not having come to their assistance when they needed it the most?
The French have been doing just that, (or more to the point, attempting to account for their inaction) but to the Tunisian people, for the last week, because their reluctance to intervene in the conflict, so as not to destabilize the nation, led them to play the part of the hapless and helpless bystander.
The nation priding itself upon being the birthplace of human rights thus stood listlessly by, as a detemined people fought for its freedom and dignity.
Is that the part we aspire to play in the Egyptian uprising?
What are we waiting for, then, to demand Mubarak's departure and the fall of his morally bankrupt regime?
Fox's reluctance to cover the mass demonstrations in Egypt may provide a clue.
"You probably don't give a lot of time thinking about Egypt", a Fox News presenter suggested, before explaining that "groups linked to al-Qaida" were in danger of taking over the government in Cairo, wrote Richard Adams, of The Guardian's Wahington bureau.
Here lies our unspeakable fear: if the despots fall, the islamic extremists are bound to replace them.
In a post 9/11-world, that is unthinkable, an unconscionable proposition.
Hence, their misery and oppression is the price for our security and comfort, even though Islamic extremism is spawned by misery and oppression....
The Israelis themselves are terrified at the prospect of Mubarak's downfall.
I'm not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through the democratic process, one diplomat told TIME.
This remark, if condescending and contemptuous, is at least a candid one.
The time shall never be right as long as we, in the West, continue being obsessed with Osama Bin Laden.
The erroneous belief that only robust police states can shield the West from Islamic extremism led us to sacrifice the interests of entire populations comprising millions of people, in the name of security, but only our security (those hapless Muslims living in the Middle East will have to forego theirs and continue being victimized by the thugs who rule them) and affordable oil prices...
In this regard, it should be noted that the revolt in Egypt has just pushed oil prices near $100 a barrel...
Hillary Clinton has condemned the violence, but not the regime, as she still refuses to demand Mubarak's departure.  As a partner, we strongly believe that the Egyptian government needs to engage immediately with the Egyptian people in implementing political, social and economic reforms, she stated today.
Mubarak has lost the moral authority to initiate these changes, assuming he ever even knew how to proceed.
Only the demise of his corrupt police state will allow the Egyptians to create the future they demand and deserve...
(the photograph above of demonstrators in Cairo is by Mohammed Abed AFP/Getty Images)