Egypt and US hypocrisy - a thumbnail

First, what every story has been saying the past 24 hours — US demands real reform in Egypt rather than the fake reform we've tolerated for years.

The State Department's chief spokesman, Philip Crowley, said in a Twitter message that the Egyptian government "can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat. President Mubarak's pledging reform must be followed by action."

But, the reality was expressed by Crowley just seconds later, when Hosni Mubarak named his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, as vice president. The story notes that his is despite the fact he's never held that post during his tenure.

The administration appeared to react positively to Suleiman's choice. Crowley said in another Twitter message that Suleiman "is somebody we know well and have worked closely with."

I.e., someone "we can do business with."

Real message of Crowley? Between the lines:

Reshuffle the deck, then visibly cut the cards twice, to avoid the appearance of standing pat.

And, what if the Muslim Brotherhood gets elected in free elections? What then, self-righteously opining Elliott Abrams and other Bush-loving neocons? We've already seen how precious you and Chimpster consider democracy when it involves Hezbollah or Hamas.

So STFU and shut your piehole.