that is taking place because the people of egypt are calling for change. so going forward we want those young people and we want all egyptians to know america will continue to do everything that we can to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy in egypt. underscoring the confusion surrounding expectations that mubarak would step down was this comment by cia director leon panetta during his testimony before a congressional hearing just yesterday. i got the same information you did, that there is a strong likelihood that mubarak may step down this evening which will be significant in terms of where the hopefully orderly transition in egypt takes place. so the cia thought mubarak was stepping aside last night. in yet another statement, remarks by the former director the director of national intelligence, james clapper where he said egypt s
genuine transition to democracy in egypt. that was the president of the united states speaking earlier. let s bring in some of our analysts, our correspondents to assess what s going on. candy crowley is here, david gurgen, gloria borger. i think it s fair to say they were expecting more. is this a lost in translation moment here? or in fact were they told things that were not quite true that s what they re trying to figure out. i was talking to somebody earlier via e-mail who said, like, did some of these sources mislead us, or did mubarak mislead them? one other thing i will add.
there s no doubt there will be an explosion i think it s fair to say, an explosion of anger if in fact mubarak goes on television in the coming minutes and announces he s not stepping down. these folks who are dancing in the streets right now, they re chanting and they ve got the music going. they will be so angry, and i suspect folks all over egypt, this is a huge country of 80 million people. the anger level will just be huge right there. fred pleitgen is our correspondent. he s inside the square right now. i believe he s the only network television reporter who s reporting from tahrir square from on the ground right now. i want to remind viewers about 90 minutes or so ago, the president of the united states barack obama spoke and if you read between the lines of what president obama said, it sounds like it was all over. america will do everything to help an orderly and genuine transition to democracy in egypt. president obama said this is a moment of transformation, that
say that we are following today s events in egypt very closely, and we ll have more to say as this plays out, but what is absolutely clear is that we are witnessing history unfold. it s a moment of transformation that s taking place because the people of egypt are calling for change. they ve turned out in extraordinary numbers representing all ages and all walks of life, but it s young people who have been at the forefront. a new generation. your generation, who want their voices to be heard. and so going forward, we want those young people and we want all egyptians to know america will continue to do everything that we can to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy in egypt.
orderly and genuine transition to democracy in egypt. hala gorani is here with me, as well. hala, nile tv, the state tv in egypt, it s fascinating. they were broadcasting live what the president of the united states was saying just then about egypt. it indicates to me and as a longtime observer of what s going on in egypt one state television, the state media begins to report stuff that normally they wouldn t want to report especially live, it s a sign of the end of the regime over there for all practical purposes. we saw that cracking yesterday with the workers at the suez canal, with other union workers. we saw it with the state tv and all of a sudden now it certainly looks like it s over for hosni mubarak. well, when state television decides to air live a speech by president barack obama saying that we re watching history unfold and that the people of egypt have asked for change and