Syrian official: Assad, Bush deal in works

Ynet ^ | January 29, 2006 | Ali Waked

[oceanview]

yup, toss that in, and you've got a deal!

[jmc1969]

So what?

Even if Assad came out and said he ordered Hariri's death it means nothing. The US still wouldn't be able to institute regime change against Syria because we don't have the troops and the worst possible situation is if we simply took out Assad and left Syria a destabilized mess.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Even if Assad came out and said he ordered Hariri's death it means nothing.

That is the whole point. The dead man is dead. It is done. Syrian influence is NOT diminished in Lebanon. Time is on their side.

[jmc1969]

Exactly, Syria is simply an annoyance, we have bigger fish to fry, but we can't do everything at once.

[Lurker]

An annoyance eh? Tell that to the 243 families of the Marines murdered by Assad and his Hizbollah goons.

Annoyance my ass....

L

[tomahawk]

Good point.

Iran is the main concern.

[jmc1969]

I didn't know Bashar al-Assad was in power in 1983.

Assad is an asshole, but he isn't the one that will very soon have a nuke and wants to turn his country into a great suicide bomber that will wipe out the Middle East.

Compared to the rappidly building threat of Iran, Assad is a whimpy loser.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

and what do we do when the Syrians break this deal?

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

I agree with your post that Iran is the bigger concern, but I believe that the Bush admin. has the bigger chess match in site. If the pawns are eliminated, Saudia Arabia, Iraq, Lybia, etc. Then that leaves the Irans, et. al. more vulnerable. I would like to see how this announcement plays out. More info will be helpful. IMO

[Itzlzha]

Syria's Assad wants a deal:

Time to tell Assad to E.S.A.D!

No "Deals" with Islamazi terrorists and thugs!

Make your deals with Allah, because you have NO credibility here!

[Lurker]

Assad is a murdering thug. His regime would fold in a week once we roll a couple of armored divisions his way. Once that's done, Iran is totally isolated in the world.

Crushing Syria has the added bonus of taking a lot of pressure of Lebanon. It would also allow our guys to get into the Bekka Valley and locate the WMDs that are stored there. Another benefit is that the Syrian jihadis won't be able to slip across the border and murder American GIs.

I say we take the 'low hanging fruit', and knock off Syria before Iran.

L

[Savage Beast]

While you're at it, George, make Assad hand over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

[TheCrusader]

"The Syrians will also pledge to minimize their cooperation with Iran, which is funding and directing many of the groups fighting American troops."

Great 'deal'; Syria promises us they're not going to help kill as many American troops as before. wow

[Proud_USA_Republican]

It's a deal only Jimmah Carter and John Kerry could love.

[Semper Paratus]

How about the eye doctor leaves Syria and he won't be killed?

[Texas Songwriter]

Any deal should come with ASsad producing all of Husseins WMDs.

[OKIEDOC]

I would rather that Syria give up Sadams weapons of mass destruction they have stored in their country.

That would just about drive a nail into the Dims coffin of sewer sludge.

[okie01]

Yeah...this sounds like a deal that ASSAD wants...don't see anything to indicate that Bush is all that interested.

The correct take, in my opinion.

If there is anything whatsoever to this rumor, it is Assad signaling that he would accept a deal, any deal, to stay in power.

That is not a deal he is going to get from the Bush administration, however. There are simply too many loose ends -- support for Iraq insurgency, Hizbollah and Israeli security, Lebanon and Assad's guilt, not to mention Saddam's WMD.

Given success in Iraq and Lebanon, why would we agree to leave the Assad regime in place?

[Mike Darancette]

Now how could we have left out that little detail?

The Rovian answer is we didn't forget but want to wait till a little closer to the election to knock the legs out from under the "Bush Lied" crowd.

[sageb1]

"The deal being worked out is reportedly based on the following understandings: Two senior Syria officials, General Rustom Ghazaleh and one of his assistants, Jameh Jameh, will be incriminated in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Meanwhile, Assad himself and particularly his brother-in-law, Asef Shawkat, will be cleared of involvement in the killing."

And Jay Rockefeller's dealings with Damascus will remain classified until the year 3000?