by The White House is busy trying to prepare for an Egypt without Hosni Mubarak, who has been a US ally for years now. Still, no one is willing to predict when the president will truly leave his post.President Barack Obama said on Sunday: “Only he knows what he’s going to do. The US can’t forcefully dictate, but what we can do is say the time is now for you to start making a change in your country. Mubarak has already decided he’s not going to run again.”Secretary of State Hillary Clinton states that pressuring Mubarak to leave office immediately will only create additional challenges for Egypt while it faces the difficult switch from being an autocracy to a democracy. Clinton added that Mubarak’s withdrawal may affect the “significant actions” he has taken in order to get the process started in the past. She says that despite the fact that his steps do not suffice for the protestors, they are more likely to pave the way for free and fair elections.Clinton advised that the Obama Administration focus more on inducing an “orderly transition” in Egypt, and she suggested that Mubarak’s present, now less powerful, may have a positive effect on the process and help it resolve sooner, and in a less violent manner.
