The U.S. has close ties to the Egyptian military, which Washington give $1.3 billion a year in aid.

babaearly:

Egypt army takes charge, Mubarak to address nation


Reuters/Yannis Behrakis
Opposition supporter waves flags inside Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. More photos »

Buzz up!1711 votes


Email
Print
Slideshow:Anti-government protests in Egypt
Play VideoVideo:Egypt braces for Mubarak news Reuters
Play VideoVideo:Anti-Mubarak protests widen in Cairo Reuters

AP – The local government headquarters, is set on fire by protesters, claiming delays on requests for housing …
By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press – 30 mins ago
CAIRO – Egypt's military announced on national television it had stepped in to secure the country and promised protesters calling for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster that all their demands would soon be met. Mubarak planned a speech to the nation Thursday night, raising expectations he would step down or transfer his powers.
Protesters packed in Cairo's central Tahrir Square broke into chants of "We're almost there, we're almost there" and waved V-for-victory signs as more flowed in to join them well after nightfall, bringing their numbers well over 100,000. But euphoria that they were nearing their goal of Mubarak's fall was tempered with worries that a military takeover could scuttle wider demands for true democracy. Many vowed to continue protests.
The developments created confusion over who was calling the shots in Egypt and whether Mubarak and the military were united on the next steps.
The military's moves had some trappings of an outright takeover, perhaps to push Mubarak out for the army to run the country itself in a break with the constitution. But comments by Mubarak's aides and his meetings with the top two figures in his regime — Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq — before his speech suggested he may try to carry out a constitutionally allowed half-measure of handing his powers to Suleiman while keeping his title as president.
That step would likely not satisfy protesters, and it was not clear if the military supports such a move. The United States' CIA director Leon Panetta said Mubarak appeared poised to hand over his powers to Suleiman.
State television said Mubarak will speak to the nation Thursday night from his palace in Cairo. Information Minister Anas el-Fiqqi said he would not resign, state TV reported. Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq insisted Mubarak was still in control, saying "everything is in the hands of President Hosni Mubarak and no decisions have been taken yet."
President Barack Obama said, "We are witnessing history unfold" in Egypt and vowed the United States would continue to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy. But he and the White House gave no indication if they knew what the next steps would be. The U.S. has close ties to the Egyptian military, which Washington give $1.3 billion a year in aid.
The dramatic developments capped 17 days of mass anti-government protests, some drawing a quarter-million people, to demand Mubarak's immediate ouster. What began as an Internet campaign swelled into the stiffest challenge ever to Mubarak's nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule, fueled by widespread frustration over the regime's lock on power, government corruption, rampant poverty and unemployment.
Click image to see photos of protests, clashes in Egypt

AFP/Mohammed Abed
The protests escalated in the past two days with labor strikes and revolts by state employees that added to the chaos. The rapid ramping up of the unrest was overwhelming the regime's efforts, led by Suleiman, to manage the crisis. In a sign of the government's distress, Suleiman warned parts of the military or police could rise up in a coup.
The military's dramatic announcement in the early evening appeared to show that that its supreme council, headed by Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, had taken the reins of leadership.
Footage on state TV showed Tantawi chairing the council with around two dozen top stern-faced army officers seated around a table. Not at the meeting were Mubarak, the military commander in chief, or his vice president Suleiman, a former army general and intelligence chief named to his post after the protests erupted Jan. 25 and has led regime efforts to resolve the crisis.
"All your demands will be met today," Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told thousands of protesters in central Tahrir Square.
The protesters lifted al-Roueini onto their shoulders and carried him around the square, shouting, "the army, the people one hand." Some in the crowd held up their hands in V-for-victory signs, shouting "the people want the end of the regime" and "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," a victory cry used by secular and religious people alike.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110210/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt

this doesnt look like a coup? what do you think?