"Egyptian ex-president Mubarak on life support" Reuters

"...three sources in the military and security services, which retain control
following the revolt, said Mubarak was being kept alive and said they would not
use the expression "clinically dead" to describe his condition.

General Said Abbas, a member of the ruling military council, told Reuters,
that Mubarak had suffered a stroke but added: "Any talk of him being clinically
dead is nonsense."

Another military source said: "He is completely unconscious. He is using
artificial respiration."

A security source also gave the same account and said: "It is still early to
say that he is clinically dead.""  Reuters

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IMO, he is dead.  His death will be announced as it is convenient.  Rejoice all you friends of freedom and progress!  (irony alert).

For all the believers in the social evolution of mankind, this is a case of "prison influenza." This has been quite common on the Arab World.

BTW, I never liked him personally.   pl

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/19/us-egypt-mubarak-death-idUSBRE85I1ME20120619

Comments

[JohnH]

I have often wondered if the reason the US let Mubarak be run out of office so easily is that they knew he was on his last legs and unlikely to allow any reasonable transition. They were not keen on Jamal, the spoiled brat with no military experience.

So they let the SCAF take over on an "interim basis," which is, as often the case, looking more and more permanent.

The question is, what happens after Tantawi and his generation go? Successions in the Arab world have been known to get nasty...

[oofd]

CNN was going practically hysterical this morning regarding Mubarak's probable demise. Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Starr were in the vapors over that and the Egyptian military's recent action. The were practically demanding that the U.S. Government stop the billion plus-dollar subsidy to the Egyptian military if they didn't cede control.

And what then?

[Brad Ruble]

I don't understand. Maybe it is just a concidence. But why do all these guys seem to die before they get to write their tell all memoirs and do a book tour?

[kao_hsien_chih]

Well, the whole question of "justice" aside, whatever that really means, Mubarak wasn't exactly convenient alive to anyone vying for power in Egypt, especially not to the military junta. I figure that the junta wants to essentially recreate the Mubarak regime, while declaring a "clean break" simultaneously, and a dead Mubarak does provide the "clean break" for ushering in the "new era" while silencing those who wanted to see him dead.

[turcopolier]

JohnH

What, if anything, would persuade you that the US does not control Egyptian politics? pl

[Matthew]

Well, the Egyptians have elected a parliament and a president will be announced shortly. When one is announced, they can dissolve the unelected Military Council.

[Matthew]

This should be indisputable. If we controlled Egypt's politics, we would have found a way for the military to pass power to a hand-picked successor, like in Yemen.

Instead, we look terrible. The military is overturning the revolution on its own, and we will get the "credit" anyway. It's the worst of both worlds. No control, yet responsibility.

[YT]

Col. sir,

It's ALWAYS so freakin' funny how so many folks elsewhere A$$-U-ME that the U.S. of A has control over everything, events & situations alike.

Fertile fodder for conspiracy theorists.

That aside, I guess the folks in Egypt ain't gonna get their fair share of flesh (a pound each) from the former despot, now that he is in vegetable state.