Maybe Not Shot but Dead Nevertheless

Jordan’s King Abdullah II spoke with The WashPost’s Lally Weymouth and she asked him

Do you and other leaders in this area believe you cannot rely on the U.S.?

I think everybody is wary of dealing with the West. . . . Looking at how quickly people turned their backs on Mubarak, I would say that most people are going to try and go their own way. I think there is going to be less coordination with the West and therefore a chance of more misunderstandings. Egypt is trying to develop its own way of moving forward.

And Jordan?

Two things make Jordan stand out. One is that we reached out to everybody and got a national dialogue committee. The other thing that made a major impact is that we have had demonstrations for the past 11 months but . . . nobody has been killed. It was a decision taken [from] Day One that we disarmed all our police. In other countries . . . their solution was to pull out their guns and shoot.

Nobody?

Well, according to CNN:

Demonstrations turned violent in Amman, Jordan, Friday as government loyalists clashed with protesters who are pushing for reforms.

Dozens were injured as the two sides converged in a hail of rocks and swinging sticks, according to protest organizers and the government. The country's General Security Directorate said at least 62 citizens and 58 security force members, including two senior officers, were injured

One man died of a heart attack Friday, officials said. His cause of death is disputed by some protesters who claim he was beaten.

Lucky he wasn't shot.

No, not the old man.

Abdullah II.

You wouldn't want to be caught lying with, er, to Lally.

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