Waashington ? A top House Republican said Tuesday the primary goal of U.S. policy in Egypt should be to “stop the spread of radical Islam,” an objective that has been little mentioned by Obama administration officials in recent weeks.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., also said at a news conference he hopes the street protests taking place in Cairo and elsewhere will lead to a democratic society that “stands for human rights, progress and equal opportunity.”

In his remarks, Cantor did not criticize President Barack Obama over his handling of the two-week crisis.

GOP leaders have privately urged members of the rank and file not to second-guess Obama’s approach to the crisis.

Asked about criticism leveled recently by another Republican lawmaker, Cantor said, it would not be “helpful for this president, who is having a tough enough time as it is, to have 535 members of Congress to opine on his conduct of foreign policy.”