U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates gently prodded Egypt's interim leaders not to rush to new elections, saying the new political movements that helped push longtime President Hosni Mubarak from power in February need time to develop into organized political parties....... Washington is worried that early elections will benefit the Muslim Brotherhood, a party long shunned by the U.S. because of its Islamist leanings. Any public airing of U.S. concerns about the timeline for holding elections risks being seen in Egypt as interference in the country's internal affairs....
A senior defense official traveling with Mr. Gates said the U.S. was trying to explain to Egyptian leaders the benefits of allowing nascent political movements to get organized, citing the experiences of other countries emerging from long dictatorships. (and perhaps worrying of a Hamas-like win in Israel's biggest nightmare, over the Nile!) "Certainly in Egypt, a longer period of time would probably help secular groups form coalitions and political parties and compete," the senior defense official said (and give ample time for the 'counter revolution to snuff out this legitimate experience..) (But) The official made clear Washington didn't want to be seen as interfering........... The U.S. currently believes that the Muslim Brotherhood would muster between 10 and 30 percent of the popular vote if elections were held today. Israeli officials have told their U.S. counterparts that they believe the party could win 40 to 50 percent of the vote.
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