Talleyrand is often quoted on the character of the Bourbons: they forgot nothing and learned nothing. They are not the only ones.
 
What on earth inspired the American director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, to state publicly today that Hosni Mubarak was on the verge of stepping down boggles the mind.
 
Of course it's the case that Mubarak never intends to leave; and that his army is loyal. But yet another public statement by an American official--the head of the CIA, no less--that Mubarak's days are numbered is, as Americans like to say, "not helpful." Not helpful at all.