ASHINGTON, DC — The Egyptian legislative election continues to receive a fair amount of attention in US news media. Last week's coverage focused on allegations of Statesponsored fraud and violence during the first round of election and the increasing likelihood that the newly-elected Parliament will lack much representation for opposition groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned group whose candidates pose as independents. The general tone of the coverage seems critical of President Barack Obama's administration's reaction to the election outcome. Last Saturday, a Washington Post editorial described the US government's response to the election outcome as “timid” and “painstakingly balanced”. Last Tuesday, National Security Council spokesperson Mike Hammer said that reports of irregularities and restrictions at the Egyptian polls are “worrying”. A day earlier, State Department spokesperson described the conduct of the election as a “cause for concern”. The Post's editorial, titled “Why is the US afraid of Egypt?” states that other countries watching the Obama administration's response “will marvel at Washington's weakness”. It says that the administration “appears to be thoroughly intimidated by [Egyptian President] Hosni Mubarak – when what it ought to be worried about is who or what will succeed him”. An editorial in Wednesday's edition of the Christian Science Monitor described the Egyptian election as a test for the Obama administration's rhetoric on democracy. “Elections in Egypt have become a leading bellwether for how much a US president really cares about democracy in the World.” The piece describes the election as a “major blow” to President Obama, who two months ago has called for “credible and transparent elections in Egypt,” and committed the US “to governments that reflect the will of the people” in his 2009 Cairo speech. “When it comes to applying pressure on Mubarak, Obama has put democracy promotion at a lower priority than other interests,” the editorial states in reference to Egypt's opposition to Tehran's policy and support for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. “If Obama wants repressed people to stand up for their freedom, he could do better at standing up for them.” Last week, the Los Angeles Times stated that Washington “gives Cairo more than $1 billion in aid annually, but was unable to persuade Egypt to allow international observers”.
