Reply #2: Interesting analysis on Kerry's trip

[karynnj]

There is much anger among many Egyptian secular liberals about Senator John Kerry’s meeting with leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo on Saturday. Soon, in Washington, DC, Republican lawmakers will chide Senator Kerry too. I am no friend of the Muslim Brotherhood, but old policies of isolating the Muslim Brotherhood are no longer viable in the new Middle East.

Meeting only with secular Egyptian leaders such as presidential candidates Mohamed ElBaradei or Amr Moussa yields very little political profit for the United States, and results in a net loss of remaining credibility for Egypt’s secularists. By meeting with Islamists, the United States ensures political gains for the short to medium term.
<snip>
However unpalatable, and whatever the disagreements and complaints, the Muslim Brotherhood has won roughly 40 percent of the vote in the first round of parliamentary elections. As such, they are an elected, legitimate political force. Soon, we will hear howls of anger from some in the U.S. Congress, media, and think tank circles about why the Muslim Brotherhood should be shunned. They will argue that the Brotherhood supported the Nazis (so did former Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat, who later made peace with Israel); that it is anti-American (true, but all the more reason to love-bomb them); and that it created Hamas (it did, but it does not control Hamas and closer ties with Egypt’s Brotherhood can result in greater influence over Hamas terrorism).

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior U.S. statesman, Senator Kerry’s words and cautions are important. In meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood, he sets a new and brave precedent.

http://blogs.cfr.org/husain/2011/12/11/was-senator-kerry-right-to-meet-the-muslim-brotherhood/

The article is worth reading. The first paragraph is also likely true - and I'm sure it was the first thing many of us thought. But, it has never worked when the US puts a strongman of our choosing in office - as we did Saddam Husein.