It is almost as if Mohammed Morsi has been reading Chronicles–or at least studying Egyptian history.  (And if he fails–as I hope he does–to take decisive action, he will soon be an unimportant piece of that history.)  Nightmares like Egypt can be ruled in only one of two ways:  either by a fanatical religious tyranny or by a tough but disciplined military dictatorship.  The liberal idiots who believed in the democratistic platitudes of Hilary and her president took to the streets to swell the ranks of a coalition dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood.  Now, it turns out, they don’t like the entirely predictable results.  If they are really lucky, the Egyptian military is going to find a somewhat more brutal replacement for Hosni Mubarak.  The alternative will be civil war.

History note:  Egypt, since the Persian conquest, has alternated between the sometimes stable rule of foreign conquerors (the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, et alii) and temporary fits of mob rule that I am tempted to call democracy Egyptian style.  Bring back King Farouk.  Even an Albanian playboy beats an Arab thug.  Besides, he was a monarchist with a sense of humor.  He is reported to have observed, as one by own the crowned heads lost their crowns,

Farouk is also reported as having said ” Soon there will be only five Kings left: the King of England, the King of Spades, the King of Clubs, the King of Hearts, and the King of Diamonds.”  A gambler, he even one once and a while, though he lost his throne in 1952 in an officer’s coup supported by the CIA.  Plus ça change etc.