White House Sees No Future for Mubarak, Sources Say

Sources close to the Obama administration say that the White House has given up on the embattled Egyptian president.

The Obama administration has reportedly acknowledged what Egyptian protesters have been saying for eight days: Hosni Mubarak’s days as Egyptian leader are numbered. Participants in a meeting at the White House Monday said the administration has given up on Mubarak, leading observers to speculate where Obama goes from here. No Western leader has called for Mubarak to step down, but if the administration has already acknowledged internally that his rule is not tenable, the White House must be working on Plan B. Washington reportedly has no contingency plan for the sudden collapse of the Egyptian government. In a sign that Obama is seeking a more hands-on approach, the president dispatched diplomat Frank Wisner to Cairo to press for democratic reforms.