Crossing the Nile

CONTINUED vigilance by Washington is warranted and appropriate. But the Egyptian Street is clearly winning the day. Brick by brick, Mubarak is losing his grip on power. And if it helps to oust him from power faster, President Obama certainly has my permission to go all Machiavelli on us behind the scenes. (Given the stakes, I suspect the White House is already playing diplomatic hardball with Egypt’s waning leadership.) We don’t know what the new Egyptian dawn will ultimately bring. A fairytale ending is unlikely in this ancient land of the Pharaohs. There are no perfect political solutions. But no less momentous than Caesar fording the Rubicon, Egypt has crossed its Nile. Now is the time for its people to press it all the way home and make history, come what may.