I HATE TO SAY “I TOLD YOU SO,” BUT THIS IS JUST WHAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT: Egypt’s pro-democracy activists feel their grip slipping.

Sensing the revolution that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak is slipping from their grasp, activists and opposition groups are pressuring the ruling military council to postpone Egypt’s elections in September amid fears that Islamists and members of the former regime will gain too much power.. . . The pressing concern among independents and secularists is that the Brotherhood, the nation’s largest and best-organized party, may win about 25% of the seats in parliament and control even more through a coalition. This could give the organization the power to infuse the new constitution with conservative Islamic ideals to limit rights for women and non-Muslims.

“The Brotherhood is tyrannical in its opinions and views, and I think they will take the side of the Islamist businessmen who fund it and have strict Islamic ideologies,” said Khalid Sayed, a member of the Jan. 25 Youth Coalition. “Whatever constitution they might form would not fulfill the demands of Egyptians for civil rights and democracy.”

Wait, I thought they were misunderstood moderates? But this is how it goes: Kerensky could replace the Czar, but Lenin could replace Kerensky — and there was no one around who could replace Lenin, because Lenin made sure of that right off. The liberal democrats should have killed him when they had the chance, but they hesitated, and he didn’t.

The pro-democracy activists need to be prepared for a real fight. Because they’ll have one, and win it, or they’ll lose.