The Egyptian Freedom Fighters and Mr. Lincoln

The entire world is now cheering for Egypt to get its house in order so that its people can govern themselves as they choose in free elections. This will surely happen if everyone, inside and outside Egypt, remains alert for those who would steal the hard-fought victory from the Egyptian people. The Egyptian army is still the key. If it remains loyal to its citizens and does not follow the siren calls from those in the Middle East who would lead them down the path to extremism or military rule, the country will come through.
As we are seeing today, in Algeria, Bahrain and Morocco, people are following the example of Tunisia and Egypt and marching for their freedom. Already, some leaders in Algeria have been arrested. Let us keep these brave people in our thoughts and prayers. The marchers are small groups for the moment, but with our support and vigilance, they can grow and win, too.
It reminds me strongly of a very famous remark made by Abraham Lincoln long before he was president. He said :

"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

                     -Speech by Abraham Lincoln, September 8, 1854.

This remark is so often quoted for everything from political candidates to used cars that it has almost lost its meaning.

But, think about it. Tunisians and Egyptians and Algerians and Moroccans and all people living under authoritarian rulers know that it contains an absolute verity. 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln. The Egyptian people have given you a precious gift to honor the day.