Speaking at Northern Michigan University Thursday afternoon, President Barack Obama said that he wants Egypt's young people - and all Egyptians - to know that the United States supports "a genuine transition to democracy in Egypt." Egyptian demonstrators have consistently said that they were looking for the American leader to use the word "democracy" and to unambiguously endorse the principle of democracy for Egypt.

Administration officials said the president had been watching developments in Egypt as he traveled to Michigan by plane. Obama, after a brief statement about the country, included the observation, "We Are Watching History Unfold." He then turned to domestic issues. Observers watching for a clue about what Obama and his staff know about what might be pending in Cairo were left waiting - as Egyptian pro-democracy demonstrators also waited for an expected speech to the nation by President Hosni Mubarak from the presidential palace.

State television said that Mubarak is in the palace and will speak live, despite earlier reports that he may have departed for a Red Sea resort, leaving behind a taped message. If anyone outside the presidential palace knows whether the military will take over or will preside over a hand-off to Egypt's vice-president, no one was talking.