There are signs of significant rifts among Syrian militias trying to overthrow Assad.

This diary is a preliminary attempt to specify a general conviction of mine that the way forward in the Middle and North Africa region (MENA) is through cooperation between the “democratic” secular movements and the Moderate Islamist movements (Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Tunisia’s Ennahda Party, and Hamas in occupied Palestine), and that this understanding is something U.S. progressives should support.

The title refers to one possible element of the specification. Given that the idea of a two-state solution, meaning Israel and a secular Palestine has become a mere fantasy that no longer has a realistic possibility of implementation, perhaps Fatah and Hamas can finally realize that it is vital for them to settle their differences, and come to an understanding on international issues to struggle for, of which one element might be a new two-state proposal.

The stakes are high, and can be encapsulated in this predicament: Will Egypt complete the transition from Mubarak’s authoritarian regime to a consolidated democracy or will it eventually — soon — produce another authoritarian regime, this one dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, its allies and the military?

Official results in the historic Egyptian Presidential elections will not be revealed until Monday. But based on early returns and exit polls, it looks increasingly like a runoff will ensue, with the choice coming down to a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hosni Mubarak’s former Prime Minister.

While this video of the shooting of an unarmed man in the streets of Alexandria circulated online, the mainstream western headlines were full of rather fishy talk about the meeting between Vice President Omar Suleiman and “the opposition.” And in the U.S., both President Obama in his interview with Bill O’Reilly, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been making comments as conflicted as before.

I was not necessarily surprised by the absence of a pro-Mubarak crackdown on this “Day of Departure” in Egypt, simply because of the masses of the crowd on hand. The thugs would have been outnumbered. I am surprised by the presence of government officials in Tahrir Square, in a supportive capacity. . . .

As I said last week, The Party Line is my attempt to take the ideas and thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head all week, and use them to kick off a weekend’s worth of conversation, and,well, my thoughts were a little extra bouncy today. There was just so much this week, and so much to say about Egypt all by itself, that I had a hard time editing my thoughts. . . but stick with me because, as you can see by the tags, I also talk about sex.

The news feeds from CNN and Al Jazeera English provide both a sharp contrast and a possible glimpse at the Egyptian government’s current strategy to repress the pro-democracy movement.

In June 2009, President Obama delivered a powerful speech in Cairo, addressing the relationship of the US and Islam. Given what’s been happening on the streets of that city during the last week, Obama might want to go back and review his words from that speech.

He gave himself some good advice, if he’d only listen to it again.

The Egyptian revolution is really separating Congress into those who at least make a nod to democracy and those who worship power. In the early days of this, I think the reactions are far more telling than they will be when Mubarak gets run out of the country and a new government takes over.