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Gaddafi Steps Away From Throne and Hits The Streets With His Bad Self
by Joseph Ernest February 19, 2011
Newscast Media TRIPOLI, Libya -- One thing you've got hand to Gaddafi is that he never fails to deliver drama. While other fallen leaders were hiding in the confines of their palaces surrounded by numerous body guards during the civil unrest, Gaddafi decides to go out in the streets in an open vehicle to start his own protests against the protesters. One thing is for sure, Gaddafi owns Tripoli.
This BBC video shows a defiant Gaddafi in the streets with pro-Gaddafi protesters, cheering with him. (pop-up)
There are some observers who believe that Gaddafi's regime will fall in just a matter of days, however, I beg to differ. The reason is, while other fallen dictators have essentially been disconnected from the average citizen, Gaddafi actually mingles with them. He wants to be viewed as a man who fears no fear. He is out on the frontline without even considering that there could be snipers out there targeting him. It is unheard of for a leader of his stature to put himself at risk where all the action is. Most leaders would have a battalion with soldiers and troops displaying AK-47s in full combat uniform, as a means to psychologically intimidate the protesters, but Gaddafi did the opposite. He went out in the cross-fire trusting the people to protect him, and Libyans were actually chasing his vehicle while cheering him on and shaking his hand.
That's as bad as one can get. Gaddafi has always harbored the ambition of uniting all African countries into a United States of Africa, and in 2008 was crowned King of Kings by over 200 African cultural leaders. Gaddafi has thrust himself in the line of fire and laid everything he has on the line, and I believe we will see more of Gaddafi protesting against the protesters in the coming days. What Gaddafi is saying is: "Let it rip, and let the chips fall where they may." It is ironic because one of his protégés, Idi Amin Dada, is also known to have driven himself around in an open jeep despite several attempts on his life. Most leaders Gaddafi's age don't have that kind of fire and passion in them anymore because they are too comfortable in their ivory towers to risk the public outrage that they would encounter in the streets.
Ivory Coast's Gbagbo is hidden in his palace and afraid to come out; Mubarak was behind closed doors and left at nightfall, Ben Ali fled on a private jet because he could not face the wrath of Tunisians. Not Gaddafi. He's starting his own revolution, and is fighting fire with fire. Gaddafi's dictatorship has kept many Libyans in poverty even though the country is one of the richest in the world, so one wonders why an impoverished people remain loyal to him and his regime.
Right now the protests are up in Benghazi but haven't really affected Tripoli even though that's where they originated. If he can turn the tide in his favor, people will gravitate toward him out of admiration for his perceived courage. As the uprisings unfold, we will get to learn more and more about what makes him tick and whether he will be able to sustain his leadership as pressure mounts. The odds seem to be against him, and there is no telling how this will end. Add Comments>>
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