Mubarak May Be Out, But This Is Far From Over

Mubarak is out.  The Egyptian military is apparently in control.  But where does this go from here?  As an observer, two things are important to me: thank God I live in America and how long before some nut job orders the attack on Israel to begin.  Will that attack necessarily start in Egypt.  It could, but....well, let me explain.  The Muslim Brotherhood has a strong foothold.  They are believed to have played a role in the assassinations of Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha, Prime Minister of Egypt, in 1948 and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, in 1981.  We've all heard that old saying 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it'?  The Egyptian people seem to be unified in the desire to see Mubarak take a hike.  And so he has.  But, what will they get next?  On the surface, it looks like public pressure has won out.  But this has implications for the rest of the Arab region.  It has implications for Israel.  Iran's leaders have  made it clear, they want Israel gone.  Mubarak was far from a jewel of a leader.  But, he had been receptive to the United States involvement in the region.  His military was among the first to help push Iraqi forces out of Kuwait back in '91.  But he hotly objected to the Iraq invasion of 2003.  He had managed to remain in power for 30 years.  Given the climate of the region, that's a long, long tenure.  Was he a friend to America?  One of convenience, perhaps.  I think we handled him using the logic of Ronald Reagan: trust, but verify.  Will we ever be able to verify anything within Egypt again?  I doubt it.  Will Iran use this as some means to an end with Israel?  They might.  Will the military crack down on the people?  Don't count that option out just yet.  There is already evidence of this spilling beyond Egypt's borders.  A movement is brewing in Iran.  The Iranian government will not just turn off the internet on protesters in their country.  They'll get medieval on 'em, and quick.  Will our President be so quick to voice support for those protesters?  Don't hold your breath.  This may calm down a bit over the coming days and weeks.  But you can bet, much like a volcano bubbling and brewing deep within, it's going to erupt in a big, nasty way at some point.  Whether we like it or not, we do have an obligation in the fray.  Israel is that obligation.