Ok according to Wedeman on CNN Hosni pre-recorded the speech

[nadinbrzezinski]

now I don't know about anybody else, but that is damn curious...

Yes I know, the man is 82, and knowing a few folks in that age group he needs his sleep... but still. You got a MAJOR crisis and you pre-record it.

Another curious thing... his whereabouts are not known.. perhaps at Sharm El Sheik... perhaps at Cairo.

I offer the series of rumors in the morning... about him leaving the country... and.. the high security in Terminal Four (VIP) at Cairo Airport.

Now this is pure speculation, but he might not be in the country, or is getting ready to bug out if at Sharm Al Sheik, which is about 20 nautical miles from Saudi Arabia.

Nobody knows where he is... curious, damn curious.

[hlthe2b]

1. He's a survivor... I don't doubt he made plans...

Sharm El Sheik sounds plausible. I really do think he'd want to stay in the country, yet out of the fray.

Did they speculate on WHEN he pre-recorded the speech? It surely did follow his conversation with Obama, since he took great pains to make that claim that it was the freedoms he had bestowed on the Egyptian people that allowed the protests we are now seeing. :crazy:

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. The clue is before, from what Obama said

and he's been at Sharm El Sheik for a few years now.

[blondeatlast]

3. I saw a little of the last part--pre-recording is certainly plausible.

Someone earlier mentioned it looked like it came from the palace--he wasn't likely there at the time. Intersting.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. They could make any place look like the palace

so it could be done even at SHarm el Sheik... my pure speculation is that he knows...

[gateley]

5. I had to look up Sharm El Sheik. At first I wondered if it was like his "Camp David"

but re-read your post and you posit it could be used as a departure point if need be.

Do you think his life would be in danger if he remains and the protests continue? It's been relatively peaceful (as such things go) thus far.

ALTHOUGH -- when Richard Engel was on w/Rachel he mentioned that some REAL combat tanks were being moved to various locations around the city, and one had just arrived outside the building from where he was broadcasting and one was in front of the American Embassy. Don't know what building he is in, but it COULD be that Obama told him (Mubarak) to beef up the security on the Americans? OR, Mubarak is getting ugly. The Tiananmen Square references we've been hearing come to mind - literally.

This was at about 4am Cairo time.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Mubarak is getting ugly

and those tanks are M1-A1 Abrams

This big bad boy...



This is a US one, but we sold divisions worth of them to Egypt, as part of the aid package to get them to sign a peace treaty. Oh the Saudis got some too

The other thing moving in are these...



The very serviceable M-113 Armored Personnel Carrier.

As to placing tanks in front of embassies... they are responsible for that security...

[gateley]

8. Shit. That's unfortunate. Why can't he just take his $40 billion and go quietly

into the night? I pray this doesn't become a blood bath. :(

[sufrommich]

7. Probably had to negotiate with the army to air it. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Trying to piece things together

from SitReps on the web from people who know a lot more about this than I do. And yes, that would be a decent guess. In a way, buying time for the army to get in place.