My father has not been sleeping for a week. He says he can't sleep, he's captivated by the scenes from protests in Yemen, Jordan, and of course Egypt. He's an incurable optimist and has great hopes for Sudan and even Zimbabwe. Despite his euphoria he's saddened by the very preventable loss of life in Egypt.

We're both a bit perplexed by Mubarak. The people have spoken, they want you to leave. But for some reason he is determined to stay, and perhaps he was told by foreign advisers/supporters that he needs to stay for "stability." But I think any objective observer would hardly label the present situation as stable.

I had a feeling it would get ugly, but I obviously did not have complete grasp of the situation. I'm not sure who the Mubarak "supporters" are, these people that have been violently attacking demonstrators, by all accounts a group that has been largely, non-violent and peaceful.

It seems that the army will have to once again step in and referee, otherwise the bloodshed, and chaos will continue.

Mubarak squandered a historic moment, he could be remembered as nationalistic figure, not willing to impose his will, or lead to the death of his citizens. Instead he has forever painted himself as one of the most hated figures in modern Egyptian history. The lives forfeited will neither be forgotten or forgiven.

In the end, the world will witness the same result, an Egypt without Mubarak. We all hope that it will be a peaceful, thriving, and democratic one. The question now is, how many more need to die before he leaves, how much blood must run through the streets before he is satisfied.