Wisner Recalled, Administration Worries Transition Not Happening Soon Enough

On Wednesday, former U.S. Ambassador Frank G. Wisner returned to Washington with an administration official saying that he was no longer able to be an effective conduit to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after their private conversations were leaked. U.S. Ambassador Margaret Scobey is now leading discussions and conveying U.S. wishes for the transition process to being as as soon as possible. Administration officials told ABC News that President Barack Obama is “very concerned” that Mubarak may not begin the process or an orderly transfer of power as quickly as he needs to. In a press briefing on Wednesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs made clear that the administration expects transition to begin now: “What the people of Egypt want to see is not some process that starts a week, a month or several months from now…There are reforms that need to be undertaken, and there are opposition entities that have to be included in the conversations as we move toward free and fair elections that we’ve advocated for quite some time.” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley echoed Gibbs’ remarks stating, “The longer that this goes unresolved, the greater the danger of further violence. And it is imperative that this process begin now…The people have spoken, and it’s time for Egypt and those officials who want to play a role in Egypt’s future to respond significantly.”