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W, PLEASE KEEP UP THE PRESSURE!

Lebanon is an absolutely gorgeous country. I was there on vacation recently. People there are very weary of criticizing Syria as people who do...just tend to disappear!

Syria is bleeding Lebanon dry. Tourism is booming in Lebanon, but millions of dollars are being sucked right into Syria.

The good news is that the younger Asad doesn't seem to be as blood thirsty as his dad. He also is trying to institute reforms in Syria. The US should be careful about removing him as there are factions in Syria that are way worse. Getting him out of Lebanon, however, is extremely important. Outside of Iraq, Lebanon is the country most likely to become a Democracy due to the fact that it was once a democracy, and the moderation and high level of education of its people.

I agree with much of what you said, but this:

Syria is bleeding Lebanon dry.

It's really the other way around. Yeah, Syria squeezes Lebanon for cash all the time. Syria does that because its illegal occupation of Lebanon has cost it blood and treasure, and actually the future of Syria itself, as so many Syrian young people leave the country at 17 or just after their 18th birthdays in order to avoid the compulsory national service. This has gone on for decades, probably due to the Lebanese occupation and the defeat in the 1973 war (and the executions for failure in the aftermath of that self-engineered debacle) as much as for the lack of opportunities.

The younger Asad is just as much a thug as his dad was. He just hasn't got a full grip on the apparatus yet. When his father died, the constitution (such as it is) was amended to permit his accession. By that act, Syria ceased to be a dictatorship and became a hereditary monarchy. Same thing as went on in North Korea.

After Iraq, looks like the US is headed for the UN -- sanctions and whatnot against Sudan. Jordan is going to fall apart slowly but surely. The good news is, Saudi Arabia is on the brink of civil war, and when that starts, there will be no problem lining up the EU behind the US for intervention there. And that will also cut off the money supply for worldwide terrorism.

Vacation in Lebanon, eh? Glad you made it back in one piece.

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent