Bad News Day

Some mornings are worse than others, but I can't remember a more depressing start to the day than what's in the news today.

First, let's take the story by David Kirkpatrick and Rob Nordland, "Mubarak Is Moved From Prison to House Arrest, Stoking Anger of Islamists":

Mr. Mubarak was released from prison the same day that a committee of jurists released a proposed constitutional overhaul that would in many ways bring back the Mubarak-era charter. 

The package would remove some provisions about the role of religion approved by last year’s Islamist-led constitutional assembly. The main addition in that charter set a framework for applying the principles of Shariah law, in accordance with established Sunni Muslim thought. But the overhaul preserves a longstanding clause grounding Egyptian law in the principles of Shariah. It brings back another clause left out last year that would limit women’s equality where it contradicts Shariah. 

On the question of rights, freedoms, women’s equality or decentralization, the proposed overhaul provides little or no improvement, legal analysts said. It still leaves broad and ill-defined loopholes for limiting freedoms of speech and assembly. On all those questions, “it is essentially the same,” said Zaid al-Ali, a researcher at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. “No one’s life in Egypt is going to improve because of these proposed changes.”

At the outset of the June 30 Coup there were those on the Left who argued that the SCAF was ushering in a new age of toleration, secularism and democracy for Egypt. I think it's clear now that's not going to be the case; rather, it's back to an aggressive form of Mubarakism.

Next, for a look at the contours of a Talibanized Syria take the time to read C.J. Chivers account of the Nusra Front abduction, imprisonment and torture of American photographer Matthew Schrier in "American Tells of Odyssey as Prisoner of Syrian Rebels."

And finally, for the coup de grace, take in "Obama Officials Weigh Response to Syria Assault," by Mark Landler, Mark Mazzetti and Alissa Rubin. The U.S. war machine rumbles into readiness regardless of reason. Not once in the story is the question asked, Why, with UN inspectors newly arrived into the country, would the Syrian government launch the deadliest chemical weapons attack since the infamous gassing by Saddam Hussein of the Kurdish village of Halabja in 1988? To the credit of Washington Post, its reporters Loveday Morris and Colum Lynch do:

The [UN Security Council] diplomat and his colleagues remain puzzled at what motivation Syrian authorities would have to undertake a chemical weapons attack while U.N. inspectors were in the area. 

“We are all asking ourselves this same question, this is not logical,” the diplomat said. “What would be their interest in launching such an attack?” 

Note the absurd answer supplied by the rebels:

Khalid Saleh, a spokesman for the Syrian Opposition Coalition, called on Assad to allow access to the U.N. team if he had nothing to hide. 

“The reason they’ve done it now is very simple,” he said. “It’s such a strong message to Syrians. The regime is telling people, we own you, we can do anything even when the inspectors are here, and we know the international community won’t act.”

The Big Lie has been a success so far. This morning it's being reported that Russia is urging Syria to allow Ake Sellstrom's UN inspection team access to East Ghouta where the chemical attack took place. Regardless of the facts uncovered plans for war will proceed.