The King's Son's Speech

In a rambling and incoherent speech that may signal the death knell for the regime in Libya, Moammar Gadaffi's son Saif just ends up pouring gasoline on the fire of revolution.

First, he makes excuses for the heavy-handed and lethal approach of security forces who have been rampaging against the protesters (with over 200 deaths and over 500 injuries to show for it).

Then, he appears to blame the revolt on foreign-based traitors, Facebook and drug dealers.

Next, he explains that the fall of his father's regime would mean a reversion to a Hobbesian state of nature where every man selfishly and ruthlessly aims to master everyone else:

We will have a civil war like in 1936. American Oil Companies played a big part in unifying Libya. Who will manage this oil? How will we divide this oil amongst us? Who will spend on our hospitals? All this oil will be burnt by the Baltagiya (Thugs) they will burn it. There are no people there. 3/4s of our people live in the East in Benghazi, there is no oil there, who will spend on them? Your children will not go to schools or universities. There will be chaos, we will have to leave Libya if we can't share oil. Everyone wants to become a Sheikh and an Emir, we are not Egypt or Tunisia so we are in front of a major challenge.

Once more, we have seen how the dictators fail to appreciate cetain elementary facts about these revolts. As much as they might complain of foreign imperialist interference, there is no shortage of domestic corruption and brutality for the people to fight against. And most of all, the leaders are the problem, not part of the solution.

Let it burn.