Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 12, 2011

Moral: If you get a chance to become a dictator’s double, DON’T!

Whew! That was close!

Have President-for-Life Eyechart do a wire transfer of the $$$. Quickly!

I dunno- perhaps he got confused and threw himself down, leaving the double in the bed.

rayannina: “Eyechart”: funny!

they are very clear on their priorities:

That was Bmzklfrpz’s mulligan. The next one will be for real.

He could buy a lot of time throwing the mob his sons; they are hated almost as much as he is.

Always nice to see a Holmes reference, RR.

Now that’s what I call democracy, angry mobs rioting.

That’s how it started here, anyway…

Just like Blofeld in “Diamonds are forever”…

Today’s strip is a brilliant example of Trudeau’s political insight. Keep in mind that he drew it before anyone really expected Mubarak to cave in to popular pressure.

The president-for-life, BMZKLFPRZ, stands of course for tyrants. Revolutions by definition are not complete unless and until they overthrow tyranny along with the tyrant.

And overthrowing tyranny means replacing it with a constitution that embodies the sovereignty of the people. Only when that happens will Egypt’s revolution become a fait accompli.

In the strip, Duke and Earl cling to the hope that the revolution has not killed the tyrant, only his image. They refuse to believe that tyranny—together with their retainer—has been obliterated.

GT’s political insight here is prophetic. Should leaders of the Egyptian army contrive, like Duke and Earl, to prop up the shadow of tyranny long enough to get their payoff, they can delay the revolution. But they cannot abort it, now that the Egyptian people have been undeceived.

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

Well the entire concept of President-for-Life does imply the way to remove him. No life, no President.

Contracted food tasters AND “rope testers” for despots? Eric Prince is a piker.

And THAT’S why he’s “President-For-Life”…

I’m glad Trudeau didn’t kill off another character while people are still grieving for Daisy. D & E better pray that Bmz… don’t run SODs.

It’s ironic that the Neocon’s #1 nemesis for going to war in Iraq, Mohamed ElBaradei is the most desirable democratic figure for the west in Egypt today. He was “Mr Doesn’t know what he’s talking about” then, and now they need him to rehabilitate their cred, today.

End of Life, end of Presidency. Simple.

Lesson One in this business, just like hooking on the street; Get The Money Up Front, Honey!