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After Message From Obama, Mubarak Expected to Skip Bid for Reelection (Nitasha Tiku, 2/1/11, New York: Daily Intel))

Hosni Mubarak is expected to speak shortly to the throngs of protesters, at least a million strong, who have gathered in Tahrir Square to call for his ouster. Although there is no official confirmation, Al Arabiya television is reporting that Mubarak will announce that he will not run for reelection in September. It's a very different message from his last address to the Egyptian people Friday, when Mubarak thought reshuffling his cabinet would appease public unrest. Al Arabiya also said Omar Suleiman, his newly appointed vice-president, had already started meetings with representatives of parties. Mubarak's concession comes after a message from President Obama, delivered by former U.S. ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner, urging Mubarak not to run again, which in essence withdraws U.S. support for its closest ally in the Arab world. The White House, which provides Egypt with somewhere around $1.5 billion in military aid annually, stopped short of a blunt demand for the current regime to step aside. Rather, the message was "firm counsel that [Mubarak] should make way for a reform process that would culminate in free and fair elections in September to elect a new Egyptian leader," echoing Hillary Clinton's support of an "orderly transition."

Another eight months of Mubarak's 30-year rule is unlikely to appease demonstrators, who are planning on spending the night in Tahrir Square. The Guardian's Jack Shenker, reporting live from Cairo, called the atmosphere "festive."