WASHINGTON -- Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) have cosponsored a resolution calling on Egypt President Hosni Mubarak to "immediately begin an orderly and peaceful transition to a democratic political system," including transferring "power to an inclusive interim caretaker government."
Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and McCain have been two of the most vocal Mubarak critics since protests began erupting last week on the streets of Cairo. And it's hard not to imagine a number of fellow lawmakers joining their cause -- which, it's worth noting, carries only symbolic weight in the sphere of international politics.
The end goal, the authors write, is for Egypt to "hold free, fair, and internationally credible elections this year."
The resolution's careful wording, however, underscores how many other political considerations are at play in the background of the Egypt crisis. Kerry and McCain expressed their "concern over any organization that espouses an extremist ideology, including the Muslim Brotherhood," in addition to underscoring how vital it is that any replacement government continue "to fulfill its international obligations, including its commitments under the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty."
The resolution is below: