What does "Backing forward or backing back" in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s comment mean?

I found the phrase backing forward or backing back in Secretary State Hillary Clinton’s remark on the Sunday Show, which was quoted in today’s Washington Post as follows.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continued making the rounds on the Sunday shows to discuss the fast-evolving situation in Egypt. "This is a complex, very difficult situation," said Clinton, "We do not want to send any message about backing forward or backing back."

What does backing forward or backing back mean? Does it mean keep positive support to Mubarak regime or Withdraw support to Mubarak regime, or simply mean move back and fro, or move back further on U.S. policy toward Egypt?

I think you are right; it refers to American support either for Mubarak or his opposition. Her phrasing is a bit odd, but I'd interpret it like this:

• backing = supporting
• back = those who want to go back to the old situation, Mubarak in power
• forward = those who want to go forward to a new government

"We do not want to send any message [to either party] about [our] supporting those who want change or those who want to go back to the way things were."

This is what happens when a politician can't think of anything truly useful to say but has to say something anyway. What Mrs. Clinton really means is something like

I need to appear on press shows to talk about the situation, and I need to be seen to be out in front of this very dangerous predicament, but — wow, I sure wish I could talk about something else because the one thing I can't do is appear to be coming down on one side or the other because whichever side ultimately comes out on top will remember if I said something in support of the loser and then we will be the losers: we'll lose a very important ally in the Middle East ... which may be going to happen anyway because, well, not supporting the winning side can sometimes be as bad as supporting the losing side.

So, given all of the above, I'm going to try to split hairs as finely as they have ever been split, and I give you now a new level of nonsense-speak which will undoubtedly be lampooned on Fox News and The Daily Show alike, but what the hell can I do about it? 'Backing-forward' and 'backing-back' are the best I could come up with. You think you could do better?

I sympathize, Mrs. Clinton, I really do. But nonsense is nonsense.

Though not a native speaker of the English language, I do hope Secretary Clinton's use of the word 'backing' could also help clarify the difference, if any, between the common US usage of the word 'back' – such as 'I've got your back' (essentially meaning 'I support you') and the UK usage of the word 'backing '– 'you have my backing' (also meaning 'you have my support'?). This is just an aside from what the secretary of state said in the quoted statement.