[roc]

The Egyptian people already rejected the transparent figure-head proposal (the "I won't run for re-election" promise). I don't think anyone expects them to accept anything that doesn't carry the promise of a free and fair election.

That said, the Vice President came up through the military which, as we've been told, is very well-respected. I don't see any reason why the people would distrust what would essentially be an Egyptian Military stewardship.

Perhaps they should be wary of that. And perhaps they will be. But it seems reasonable to expect they'd be willing to give it a shot. The military has done right by them thus far.

[wolfrom]

Don't forget that Mubarak was just an air force officer who was Sadat's vice president. It's hard not to think of this as a repeat of past successions. I haven't read whether Suleiman would stand for re-election in Sept.

[roc]

I absolutely agree. But what other reasonable choice do the Egyptian people truly have? At some point, a purge of Mubarak's government will just leave you with no-one who knows how to keep the government running sufficiently to even hold orderly elections.

And I certainly wouldn't expect the Egyptians to trust a western stabilizing/interim governmental force moreso than their own military. We were partners to Mubarak's tyranny.