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The Obama administration is still watching to see if the Egyptian government is serious about change. So far they are not convinced. Their end game hasn't altered. What US policy-makers want amounts to the current Egyptian government's pro-Western policy plus democratic legitimacy plus stability. They believe for that to happen, peace on the streets is essential and serious negotiations about the path to elections is vital.

They haven't changed their mind about Mubarak: they would still like him to go sooner than September. They just accept that this may not happen. When their unofficial envoy Frank Wisner suggested over the weekend that the Egyptian president should stay on until the autumn, it embarrassed the Obama administration and muddied their message in the eyes of the world. He was slapped down pretty quickly but the damage was done. If Mubarak is to stay, Obama's team want to see some clear signal, a symbolic concession, that shows the Egyptian government knows what is required. That hasn't happened yet.

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