Egypt Update: Next Comes Mubarak II or Islamic Rule

 It's official, the June 16-17 Egyptian presidential runoff election runoff will pit the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, Muhamad Mursi, against Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmad Shafiq.  

The two are virtual polar opposites.

"During his campaign, Shafik disparaged protesters and promised that if he is elected, he will cut off power to Cairo's Tahrir Square to prevent further demonstrations," the LATimes reported.  In short, he sounded very much like Mubarak II.  

Morsi, reports the NYTimes, is "a conservative Islamist with a rigid social agenda."  He promised implementation of Islamic law, and if elected his party, the Moslem Brotherhood, will control both the executive and legislative branches of government. 

Whoever wins, the big losers will be the pro-democracy forces that sparked the revolution that drove out Mubarak and were hoping for greater freedom and a government that would chart a middle road.