Iran versus Egypt

The political differences at play between these two strife torn nations couldn't be more stark.
In Egypt an aged and infirm autocrat dithered and snarled while the masses when parading in the streets demanding "change".
Up until then the old man's plan was to hand off power to his Ne'er Do Well son like he was Comrade Kim in North Korea or something.
Well of course we all saw how well that plan played out, millions took to the streets, the secret police ran home in sheer terror (at last word they were still hiding under the bed), the ruling party's biffsquads proved a bunch of cowardly porch climbers and the army stopped taking the Leader's phone calls.
Now, looking back, it's a miracle Mubarek lasted as long as he did.
In Iran though, the situation is different.
The regime has the middle class, the young, and the intelligensia thoroughly terrorized, divided and co-opted, their paramilitaries are well trained and ferocious, the secret police haven't lost their nerve, the Leader is a nervy sociopath and the army is well away from the center of power.
I mean right now the "opposition" is nervously filling out paperwork asking permission to stage a rally in support of the Egyptian uprising.
Right now, advantage to Ahmadinejad and his backers.
Still...It is grimly hilarious to recall that only last week President Ahmadinejad was congratulating the protesters in Cairo for toppling Mubarek only to be tear gassing those same protesters in Tehran yesterday when they called for his ouster.
It is an irony equal only to the powers of observation given to a George Orwell...