if he were to announce he is not stepping down as egypt s information minister told state television, if he were to make that announcement, what do you think would happen to that crowd over there? reporter: we ve been asking a number of people what their reaction would be if the announcement would end up basically being a disappointment that he would somehow say that he would be staying in power, and a lot of them have been saying that would mean that tomorrow would be a disaster. they are not going to stand down. they re not going to give us this ground that they ve won and bled for. but they are also very worried about that very fact because as one person was saying, the crowds here are also being very provoked. they re being very agitated. they ve been on a roller coaster of emotions. to have their expectations so high and then back, that could
fawad ajami in his analysis on all of this, he was pointing out how mubarak has been playing from the playbook of saddam, attempting to at first crack down directly with leverage of the state and the riot police. then cracking down with thugs, encouraging people to attack reporters and protesters. that didn t work. the people kept coming. time has moved beyond hosni mubarak, and his lies have been laid bare that he is not egypt. if he tries to stay in power, if he makes a speech tonight in which he just indicates he s giving up some of the reins of control but he s going to remain as the figurehead, he has not been listening and not seeing these pictures, and he has not understood the lessons that we have all learned in the last two weeks. i want to remind viewers that big sheet you see there, that s going to use by a projector to
the hearts of the young people and the old people and the cops and the muslims, and the consciences and the hearts of people who have not even been born yet. i am telling you again i have lived for this homeland and i am preserves its integrity, and egypt will also remain the interests of egypt will be above everyone else. it will keep on like that until i deliver this allegiance and the responsibility and the duties i have started from the beginning and will carry out until the end. this will be my dear son that will not leave and will also be buried here, and we will be always dignified people until the very end and we raise our
confidence among us in respect of the law and the constitution, and i will also achieve all the demands of the people by through dialogue and through a civilized dialogue within this context. i call upon all the citizen to look to the future and to and in our hands we are able to make a very bright future and to be full of freedom and democracy. the people of egypt are heroes, and they will not go after chaos and the dangers of chaos, and will not allow the agendas of danger to have any existence among us. let us work together. let es follow the same track on a new path that will achieve the aspirations of the people and the young people and the
not mubarak, then his cronies and hinchmen. again, it all depends on what he is going to say tonight. the reaction to it and what happens in the days ahead. it s approaching 10:15 at night right now in cairo. we re still waiting for president mubarak to speak. we re getting conflicting word on whether or not he will announce he s resigning or stepping down. his information minister has told egyptian state television he will not resign, but the chief of the egyptian army says to the protesters and he was there, all your demands will be met. so there are conflicting words, leon panetta telling congress he fully expects that mubarak could step down as early as tonight. jill dougherty is our state department correspondent. jill, i know what the u.s., what president obama wants to see in the end. they want to see a democratic free new government in egypt that will cooperate with the united states, continue the peace treaty with israel, work