Bill Kristol‘s article (from last February) calling on Americans (and the U.S.) to support the people of Egypt in their attempt to unseat then-President Hosni Mubarak made the rounds again on Twitter yesterday.
In this ephemeral world, columns and blog posts rarely have a second life, but the election of a Muslim Brotherhood candidate made this relevant once more.
In the column, Kristol had harsh words for Glenn Beck, who had criticized his fellow conservatives for supporting revolutionary efforts. Kristol believed conservatives should back those seeking freedom in the streets, while Beck worried a revolution would lead to Islamists gaining power.
That argument reached its natural conclusion today:
#Morsi has changed his #facebook status from “Muslim Brotherhood Candidate” to “President of #Egypt”
— Cara Swift (@cswift2) June 25, 2012
In fairness, this is a very weakened presidency. It has all the trappings of democracy, without the institutional authority. The Egyptian military’s power grab has proactively diminished Muhammad Morsi’s potential power — in favor of a state governed by de facto military rule — as it effectively has been for decades. (Given our relationship with Egypt’s military, that’s far from the worst scenario for American interests.)
In any event, a year has now passed since this debate began. As I stated at the time, Beck and Kristol were both advocating reasonable positions. That’s still true. But for now, at least, it appears Kristol was the one on the wrong side of history.
More to come tomorrow …