Back the Principle? or the Leader?

"There is another way to think about this:  The United States can and should stand for the rule of law, stable institutions and democracy...I mean...in the principle that power should change hands peacefully, inclusively, and according to a set of rules accepted by all social groups....The alternative is that power changes hands violently, that some groups are left out of the political process and that social discontent remains very high."

America's True Ally in Egypt: The United States
Should Stand Up For Democracy, Not the Players on the Ground
Anne Applebaum, Slate.com  Aug 23, 2013