In what was by far the highest profile meeting by a US official with Egypt’s military junta since the July coup d’etat, Secretary of State John Kerry offered outspoken praises for the rulers, saying he believes the military leadership has a “road map” to restore civilian rule at some point in the future.

Egypt’s military seized control of the nation in July, during protests that were bankrolled by both the US and the military itself. Ousting the first elected government in post-revolution Egypt, the military has since ruled with a collection of “interim” appointees, and promises to create a new constitution and hold new elections, though without the people who were elected last time.

Kerry insisted that the junta remains a “partner” that the US is committed to supporting, and praised the military for the “tremendous transformation that Egypt is undergoing.”

With the banning of the former ruling party, most expect Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi to run more or less unopposed in the next election, if indeed one happens at all.

Conspicuously absent from the comments was any mention of the Obama Administration cutting aid to the junta last month after repeated massacres of protesters supporting the ousted government.