we have to put up their autocratic government is because it is either Mubarak or radical Islamists. Sometimes you have to settle for the lesser of two evils.

“we have to put up their autocratic government is because it is either Mubarak or radical Islamists” That is simply not true, while it is very likely that that Islamists would win an initial election that is simply because the population sees it as the only alternative to the current corrupt government. Palestinians voted for Hamas not because they support their radical views, but because they rejected greedy and corrupt Fatah. If a true democracy would form in an Arab nation Islamic parties would either have to modernize their stance or would quickly be swept out of power by secular parties.

dictators as the lesser of two evils. The problem with Islamist democracies is that they don't stay that way for long. Look at Iran. As Thomas Jefferson said about pure democracies without rights established in a republic, "A democracy is like collection of two wolfs and and sheep who are going to vote on what's for dinner."