foreign affairs

TOP STORY - L.A. Times, 2-col. lead, "U.S. backs off call for swift Egypt reform: The strategy aims to show loyalty to other Mideast allies, but leaves the protesters' demands unmet," by Paul Richter and David S. Cloud: "The Obama administration has reconciled itself to gradual political reform in Egypt, an approach that reflects its goal of maintaining stability in the Middle East but is at odds with demands of the protest movement in Cairo that President Hosni Mubarak relinquish power immediately. A week after the Obama administration demanded a swift transition to a post-Mubarak era, it has dampened the sense of urgency and aligned itself with power-brokers such as new Vice President Omar Suleiman, who are urging a more stable, if much slower, move to real democracy." http://lat.ms/htf86o