IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, A WONDERFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD – AT 8:14 P.M. ET:  Calling Mr. Rogers.  Come in, Mr. Rogers.  We need him to add to the glowing reports of how our glorious president is calling the shots in Egypt, after a peaceful day of protests.  Riots and hell-on-Earth violence failed to materialize:

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama said Friday that talks between the Egyptian government and its political opponents were in the initial stages, but warned that the mere "pretense of reform" would not be enough to resolve that country's deepening crisis.

Please note Obama's deep concern for reform in Egypt about, oh, two weeks ago.  Never mind.

The transition of power "must begin now" and lead to "free and fair elections," he declared. Negotiations must "include a broad representation of the Egyptian opposition," he told reporters.

That is world-class inept.  Why should there be a "broad representation"?  This will be interpreted as Obama inviting in the Muslim Brotherhood, a fascist, ultra-fundamentalist organization.  Why?  Why?

Asked if embattled President Hosni Mubarak needs to step down now -- as opposed to waiting for a successor to be chosen in Egypt's September elections -- Obama said Mubarak needs to consult with advisers and listen to what's "being voiced by the Egyptian people."

There are 85 million Egyptians.  Who knows what they're actually thinking?  As a professional community organizer, Obama is very huge about street demonstrations.  You know, the old socialists liked to write in their diaries, "They are in the streets," when they saw four members of the peasantry carrying placards.

The Egyptian leader is "proud" but also a "patriot," Obama said. Mubarak needs to make a judgment about his legacy and the best "pathway forward." Violence and repression have no role in the "orderly transition process," he added. "The whole world is watching."

Yup, there it is.  The leftist slogan from 1968:  "The whole world is watching."  You can take the lad out of Chicago, but you can't take the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention out of the lad.

I think we know what Obama really believes. 

We'd all like to see democracy and freedom in Egypt, assuming it's a rational democracy.  But Obama's posturing is too much, really too much.

Mr. Rogers, a really decent guy, could have done much better.

February 4, 2011