and to try to find a strategy to lengthen mubarak's tenure not to ask him to step aside in fact frank wisner jr in his memorable television up link to the munich conference said that he had discussed a democratic transformation with saudi arabia you know all ironies intended imagine that that an american is talking about democracy with riyadh regarding a protest movement in cairo it's ridiculous. and you know where you come out on that because of course you know some countries some people in the arab middle east can have the arab spring the arab awakening but some can bahrain's a good example they can't ok so what you know that is again a good start is to power power and then go ahead sure it's a big. so but you know their loss especially in this part of the world to some countries is a cage for destabilization by her in saudi arabia we need to keep stability in the gulf their allies with iraq and afghanistan. the connection is obvious you know here there's been clinton was in saudi arabia the very weekend when the u.a.e. kicked out the national democratic institute. and couple and some othe

the president speak to mubarak, in addition to the fact a decision was made to send an emissary, frank wisner, to try to manage a transition. and, again, when you look at the debates, you can imagine the debates between those who were saying, it's not only the strategic interests of some of our friends in the region, who are going to be highly unsettled if it suddenly looks like you're walking away from a friend of 30 years. but, also, there's the question of, all right, what's going to replace him? and what is the, what's the reality about trying to manage the transition and frankly to take the point that steve made earlier. we're not the ones who are driving this. we're not the ones creating this. we're not the people who -- you know, 2 million people in the street. how much influence do we have, and what's the best way to try to exercise it? and you know, there was a conversation that the president had with mubarak that can only be sdroibed described as -- a dialogue of the deaf, because the president was saying to mubarak, you know, you -- you were -- you know, you were a child of egypt,