Before we get to the story behind the title of today’s post, I have a question for you, gentle reader:  Did you hear what Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said yesterday?  As we say in Dixie:  You ain’t gonna believe this!

The term Muslim Brotherhood is an umbrella term for a variety of movements. In the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried al-Qaeda as a perversion of Islam.

Jamie Smith, Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence later tried to perform damage control, when he said the following on ABC News:

To clarify Director Clapper’s point – in Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood makes efforts to work through a political system that has been, under Mubarak’s rule, one that is largely secular in its orientation – he is well aware that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a secular organization.

Oh, so he was lying, huh?

As I write this, at 6:04 a.m. Central, February 11, 2011, Fox News is showing a sea of Egyptians in the streets of Cairo, reminding me of what Moses leading the Israelites out of that country must have looked like, as I read in Exodus, during my quiet time this morning.

The big difference is, it’s not God who’s fomenting this revolution.  It’s the Muslim Brotherhood tickling the ears of the naive and the downtrodden of this ancient land.

Adding more fuel to the protestor’s rage yesterday, President Hosni Mubarak basically told U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama (peace be upon him) to go taking a long walk on a short pier. Mubarak announced that he would hand over powers to his Vice-President, refusing to step down after more than two weeks of protests demanding that he quit.

Seeking to end the unrest, armed forces high command had earlier issued “Communique No.1,” declaring it was taking control of the nation in what some called a military coup.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians chanting “Leave! Leave!” had gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, anticipating that Mubarak was about to announce his resignation in a televised address.

Instead, Mubarak presented himself as a patriot and war hero, justifying, in his mind, his remaining in office until the election in September.  He praised young Egyptians who have stunned the Arab world with unprecedented rallies. He announced constitutional change and more power for Vice President Omar Suleiman.

Meanwhile, in the streets of Cairo, the crowds chanted:

Down, down Hosni Mubarak.

The crowd’s happiness soon turned to rage.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace prize winner and retired U.N. diplomat who is a Liberal political figurehead being unknowingly used by the MB, wrote on Twitter:

Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now.

Mubarak announced that he would

delegate to the vice president of the republic the prerogatives of the president of the republic in a manner that is fixed by the constitution.

Egyptian Vice-President Suleiman is a 74-year-old former intelligence chief who was promoted just last month. He is not very popular with protesters, who want nothing else to do with a military-dominated government, such as the one that has governed Egypt for the past six decades.

Suleiman appeared on state television to say there was a “road map” for transition and said he would oversee a “peaceful transition of power”.

As of this morning, Egypt’s sprawling armed forces, the world’s 10th biggest and more than 468,000-strong, are supporting the Mubarak government. Egypt’s military have been the country’s power brokers since army officers overthrew the British-backed king in 1952.

And what was the President of the United States’ response, as Cairo burns, and the free world sits on the edge of their seats? 

Scooter issued a written statement.

Ooooo.  Scary.

In the statement, Obama criticized Mubarak without calling him out by name, for not offering clarity to his people or a concrete path to democracy. Obama called on Egyptian government leaders to do so, saying:

They have not yet seized that opportunity.

Meanwhile, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Obama and his national security team were scrambling around like a Benny Hill Chase scene, trying to decide how to respond to a speech that they were not prepared for. In his response, Obama asked Egypt’s leaders to plainly explain what the new changes mean and how they would lead them to the freedoms or opportunities that have driven enormous crowds into the streets since late January.

Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy. And it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world.

Mubarak has been in power for 30 years, Mr. President.  Did you think that a “strongly worded statement” was going to make him straighten up and fly right?  Hardly.

But then again, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah told you not to embarrass his friend Hosni, didn’t he?