By Nicole Houck, Contributing Writer

U.S. Representative Tom Marino, a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, told PoliticsPA in an interview that he thinks President Barack Obama’s approach to Egypt has “paid off,” and he anticipates the departure of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will yield greater stability in the country.

“It’s not a total surprise. It’s the best thing for the country. I anticipate there will be stability, and I think the United States did exactly what it should have done,” said Marino. “Who knows what was going on behind the scenes? But as a Republican, I think the President handled the situation as best as it could be handled without inflaming anything, and I think it paid off.”

Some Republicans (especially prospective 2012 Presidential contenders like Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum) have been highly critical of the way that the Obama Administration has handled the crisis.

“We have been meeting,” Marino continued. “We’ve been kept abreast of what has been going on. We’re getting constant updates. We’re having hearings’ and we will continue to have hearings to hopefully assist in a smooth and stable transition. It’s a democracy that’s going to take time to form its government.”

“Thank goodness the military has taken an apolitical, neutral position and not abused the protesters. They had a right to protest for democracy and not show that they were extremely pro-Mubarak. In the scheme of things today, I would say, knock on wood, we’re heading in the right direction.”

Managing Editor Keegan Gibson contributed to this report.