Day-to-Day Jan. 29

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images

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“We may be in the process of a revolution in Egypt, but it hasn't happened quite yet.” Issandr El Amrani, "Aftermath" (The Arabist)

“There have been rumors that this uprising is the work of the Muslim Brotherhood, but the majority of protestors I watched battling all day were teenagers -- some of them just barely so. Some wore flip flops. Others charged at police barefoot. There were adults among them, but as the afternoon hours passed and I watched them continually get tear-gassed only to return with defiance, it seemed to me that I was watching enraged kids with nothing to lose.” Gordon Reynolds, "Friday in Cairo: 'The Day of Rage'" (The Awl)

“Mubarak named a vice president for the first time since coming to power 30 years ago, a government spokesman said - an apparent step toward setting up a successor other than his son, Gamal, whom he had appeared to be grooming for the post, despite public opposition. Mubarak chose as his deputy his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, a close confidant who is well known to U.S. officials.” Griff Witte, "Egyptian Troops Let Protests Proceed as Mubarak Names Vice President" (The Washington Post)

“Suleiman is a well-known quantity in Washington. Suave, sophisticated, and fluent in English, he has served for years as the main conduit between the United States and Mubarak. While he has a reputation for loyalty and effectiveness, he also carries some controversial baggage from the standpoint of those looking for a clean slate on human rights. As I described in my book "The Dark Side," since 1993 Suleiman has headed the feared Egyptian general intelligence service. In that capacity, he was the C.I.A.'s point man in Egypt for renditions -- the covert program in which the C.I.A. snatched terror suspects from around the world and returned them to Egypt and elsewhere for interrogation, often under brutal circumstances.” Jane Mayer, "Who Is Omar Suleiman?" (The New Yorker)