What's a Counter-revolution?

Egypt's Mohamed Morsi threatened the other day to crack down even more seriously on violent protests in Port Said. Calling the protesters "counter-revolutionaries," he insisted that he would maintain public order at the cost of civil liberties if necessary.

The word "counter-revolutionary" sounds dangerous to me. It implies that the revolution, whatever that is, comes first. Not the rule of law, not liberty, not democracy, not equality, not prosperity, not even order come before the revolution.

Check out his exact words:

The revolution was a turning point in Egypt's history. Egyptians have achieved unlimited freedoms and a constitution that reduced the president's powers.A structural reform is taking place in the state's institutions to fulfill the revolution's demands. I'm also working with the government to solve the problems of slum areas in Egypt.

Note the reification of the revolution here: it has demands, desires. Not only that, but it provided "unlimited freedoms." Such language does not bode well.

Stable democracy requires moderation. It requires compromise. I understand the pressure on President Morsi here, because no government can function, and few liberties can survive, in an atmosphere of chaos. People need to feel -- and to be -- secure in their personal safety before they ca engage is reasoned debate about touchy subjects. To this end, Morsi may need to make strongly-worded statements and to authorize coercion. The problem should be familiar to any 11th-grade US history student who as studied Abraham Lincoln. But language matters, too, and Morsi and the Muslim brotherhood need to learn to talk the talk.