Anti-Morsi Egyptian protesters burn US ambassador’s photo, Muslim Brotherhood HQ

Be warned, there's some rough language in the photos below. Over the weekend, Egypt erupted as millions - across multiple cities - called for the resignation of Egyptian President and Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi. The angry mobs are made up of Christians, secular Egyptians, and even moderate Muslims who believe that Morsi has overstepped his electoral mandate. Basically, they believe Morsi hijacked the movement that ousted Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Since then, he's been bent on crushing dissent, has decimated Egypt's economy, and has driven gas prices into the stratosphere.

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Sound familiar?

The protests have been marked by the usual rapes, murders, and violence that have been common with Tahrir square uprisings, but the press has been content to ignore all of that and report that they were "mostly non-violent." At least they were, right up until the mobs targeted the Muslim Brotherhood. Last night, anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters stormed the MB headquarters in Cairo, ransacked the building, and set fire to the structure. So far, there's no word on which Youtube video caused the attack, but the phrase "suddenly turned violent" has become common in its wake.

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As Reuters reports,

"A spokesman for the Brotherhood blamed the violence on “thugs” and said it would be demanding answers from police who failed to protect it. He said two of those inside were injured – by fires – before a security detail from the movement was able to evacuate all those inside the compound in mid-morning."

In all, eight people were killed during the overnight hours. If members of the Obama administration were hoping that their ongoing support for President Morsi had gone unnoticed, they're going to be sorely disappointed. Last week, it was widely reported that Ambassador Patterson was urging Coptic Christians not to participate in any mass protests against the Muslim Brotherhood. That move cemented the belief among disgruntled Egyptians that Obama and Patterson were simply shills for the Brotherhood and Morsi - which, in large part, they are. As a result, the protests bear an anti-Obama component that can't be ignored.

In short, the U.S. President has an Egypt problem. This was supposed to be a big foreign policy success. "The Arab Spring" was one of Obama's and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's crowing achievements. It was, allegedly, the surest sign that the Obama administration had managed to spread peace and democracy throughout the Middle East. Now, it's all coming apart as the masses expose it for the Muslim Brotherhood shell game it always was. While we wait to see what Morsi's response will be, it's worth remembering that the U.S. has been sending gobs of cash, as well as tanks, planes, and boats, to Egypt's government. What will Obama do if those assets end up being used to crush the uprisings? Below are two videos. The first will show you what demonstrators think of the U.S. Ambassador, and the second is a general overview of the last 36 hours.

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