Egypt: Another 80-year-old dude who had to go

What is it about these 80 year olds lately?

First it was Charlie Rangel of New York.

Then it was Ike Skelton.

Now it's Hosni Mubarak.

All of them 80 year old guys trying desperately, pathetically to hang on to power for power's sake, it seems.  Or for their ego.  Or something.

I understand and I'm sympathetic to their situations because no one wants to both admit it's the end of the line, so to speak, and go away and give up power but really, you have to be realistic and each of these guys didn't face up to reality until it was forced on them.

Other notes on the Egypt situation:

--It's great that this all started with the young people in Egypt.  I love that.  It's the way it usually happens, true, but it's just reassuring to me, anyway, that the energy and ideas came from the students and young people.  I like that;

--Seeing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell agree with both Secretary of State Clinton and this Obama Administration on the whole Egypt situation is refreshing because in the first place, they are, in fact, saying what needs to be said; second, we need to stand together as a country on this and third, because it must kill him to agree with them, the pointy-headed pinhead.  (Oops, did I say that?);

--It's cool how this revolution in Egypt and the preceding one, in Tunisia, got going from Twitter and Facebook;

--At the same time, it's a bit scary that these both got going on Twitter and Facebook.  There's a bit of anarchy to it all that seems to somewhat threaten all political structures, internationally, potentially;

--Finally, Mubarak's finally appointing a Vice President in Egypt is 1)  Far too little, far too late and 2) pitiful and pathetic, really, because he appointed the former head of their intelligence agency.  That is hardly any open democracy or any good, big step in some right direction.

Charlie Rangel's and Ike Skelton's situations weren't really big deals in terms of power.

Here's hoping things go well and smoothly in Egypt, in a good, reasonably smooth transition to healthy, representative democracy.

Links:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/world/middleeast/30-egypt.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/world/middleeast/30military.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/world/middleeast/30voices.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/world/middleeast/30suleiman.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22