Death Rattle?

The Mubarak regime has lashed back, as Professor Juan Cole put it, "mounting a massive and violent repressive attack on the peaceful crowds in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo."   Described by The New York Times, as "waves of pro-government provocateurs armed with clubs, stones, rocks and knives," there were "abundant signs" that this was an organized and coordinated effort directed by the government, including attempts to halt reporting by journalists and the fact that the protests came in well-timed waves.

The Atlantic's Graeme Wood provides a gripping first hand account of  The Battle in Cairo's Tahrir Square.  And here's another from The New Yorker's Wendell Steavenson.

As Democracy Now's Sharif Kouddous states, we are now seeing the "true face of the US-backed Mubarak regime," but this time "the whole world is watching."  Kouddous reports that while many protestors have left the Tahrir Square, many remain and vow not to leave until Mubarak steps down.  "It remains to be seen how the protesters will respond, but Friday, when another mass demonstration is scheduled, will undoubtedly be a decisive day."