Excerpt:
American policymakers are trying to downplay any role the Muslim Brotherhood will play in an emerging Egyptian government, saying only that President Hosni Mubarak's successors must be open and tolerant of religious minorities and govern an open society.
Statements by senior policy officials to the media and before congressional committees since Mubarak's Feb. 11 resignation show that the Obama administration does not consider the Brotherhood to be an extremist organization, despite its written commitment to creating an Islamic state and its leadership's history of threats and hate speech.
The Brotherhood made good Monday on its pledge to form a political party, called the Freedom and Justice Party. General Guide Muhammad Badie said the party is open to everyone, provided they "accept its platform and tendencies." That platform hasn't been issued yet.