It really annoys me that the MSM wants to turn all world events into a referendum on America. It's not. The Lebanese (like the Afghanis, the Iraqis and the Ukrainians before them) want to have a Democratic country. That's a point that Liberals want to argue, but events make their position rather dubious.
When we can make their path to Democracy easier, they will appreciate what we do. They've been educated to be skeptical about our intentions, and it's not unusual for oppressed people to believe we'd have the same evil intentions that their previous rulers did.
But when we can do something like pressure Syria to get out of Lebanon and let them have free elections, eventually they will see our good intentions. Maybe not tomorrow, but when they have a functioning gov't, they will.
Our current "good intentions" are doing what's good for *us*. How can I explain this? It's like a constructive business relationship, where the best deals lean towards win/win.