Assad is merely a figurehead for Mustafa Tlass who is the real power in the country.
I loved him in "The Lion King"!
Seriously though, can't we kill him along with Assad? As long as we're there, we might as well consolidate.
""Assad is merely a figurehead for Mustafa Tlass who is the real power in the country.""
For those who don't know, here's a link to Mustafa Tlass bio at the Reform Party of Syria site--he's a Sunni and Ba'athist, like Saddam: http://www.reformsyria.org/Baath/Villains/mustapha_tlas.htm
They say, in part, "Being the "old man" of the regime and the President's faithful companion, his influence has quadrupled in the post-Assad era. He has not parted from the young leader's side, either in private meetings or before the cameras. He remains, however, without an autonomous power base of his own. Being a Sunni at the top of a predominantly Alawite establishment, he cannot exercise any influence independently of his relationship with Bashar."
The Reform Party is Washington based and looks pretty intereseting, at least according to their "About Us" blurb:
"Reform Party of Syria (RPS) is a US-based opposition party that has emerged as a result of September 11. The party is governed by secular, peace committed American-Syrians, Euro-Syrians, and native Syrians who are determined to see that a "New Syria" is reborn that embraces real democratic and economic reforms."