The recent Constitutional "reform" and the latest crackdown on MB leadership in Egypt is obviously aimed at one thing: securing Gamal Mubarak's accession to the presidency. This has been telegraphed for some time and frankly is an enormous snake pit for the West --- endorse a farcical monarchic succession in the most critical Arab country in the Middle East, thus gutting any remaining pretense of democracy promotion, or side with the MB and the ineffective secular opposition.

Of course in real power terms, the U.S. has no choice. But just how warm our relations will be with a Gamal Mubarak regime should be viewed as key.