I heard this morning that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would be on Charlie Rose this Monday (Aug. 17), granting a rare one-hour interview to the veteran PBS newsman. The interview is scheduled for the eve of Mubarak's meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington.
Rose has met with Mubarak several times throughout the years, but it will be interesting to see whether this time Rose begins with the question he did in 2005: "How is your health?"
Egypt is abuzz with rumors about the 81-year-old authoritarian's supposedly deteriorating health, with some even speculating that his son and potential successor Gamal is already in charge for all practical purposes. While that tidbit might be a bit premature, it's certainly time to ask: How long is enough?
Mubarak has ruled since 1981, after Sadat's assassination, and he's never appointed a vice president. (Imagine Reagan still in power.) There is no clear mechanism for succession and both Mubarak and son have denied that Gamal is being groomed for the presidency.
Paul Schemm from the AP's Cairo bureau touched on the sensitive issue in a story today. As he points out, the subject is so taboo in Egyptian political circles that "merely to speculate on it can be hazardous." That's what newspaper editor Ibrahim Eissa found out when he was convicted of libel and sentenced to six months in prison because his tabloid claimed in 2007 that Mubarak was ill. (Eissa's sentence was later reduced, and Mubarak eventually pardoned him.)
The AP story also notes: The 81-year-old president has looked weakened and pale in several appearances in recent months. During a July visit to Italy he was photographed being helped up the stairs. His office is resolutely silent about his health.
On the other hand, after 28 years in power he shows no specific sign of illness, and he has just traveled to Europe and toured the Egyptian provinces. Last month, in a long interview on Egyptian TV, he appeared vigorous and talked in detail on a range of topics.
Guess we can tune in Monday to see how Rose handles The Big Question.
And here's a link to Rose's full 2005 interview with Mubarak. I watched for about 24 minutes -- mostly because I so rarely hear Mubarak express himself in English -- but then Rose asked him about the legitimacy of the Iraqi elections. Hmm, perhaps a leader who was actually elected might be a better analyst?
Next time I'll put on some lederhose and sing "Adelvice". That should shatter the Captain Von Trapp illusions most thoroughly..
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