This is clearly unqualified good news. I joined a gathering of about 100 Lebanese this Sunday at City Hall in San Francisco and it was very special.

Going forward, however, we have to remember that, even with the resignation of the Syrian puppet regime and the removal of troops, Syria isn't quite finished. Syria has a very extensive intellegence network (operatives, informants, etc) operating within Lebannon, and that will be much harder to root out. The best way to eliminate that threat is to hope that these demonstrations start to find their way onto the streets of Damascus..and Tehran...

All of this is freaking me out a little bit. It's like sneaking downstairs on Christmas morning and seeing what looks like your most desired toy all wrapped up under the tree. It can *only* be a Photon gun-helmet-and-belt set because that's the only thing that looks like that, but you can't be 100% sure.

I feel like that.

Ten Fingers,

The security apparatus won't be much good without an intelligence/law enforcement infrastructure to act as muscle. But agreed, Syria is still going to be a long-term problem for Lebanon.

Now, according teh the new troll-for-the-day, none of this is attributable to Booosh, but I can hardly see how to spin it otherwise.

Assad's a coward and a bully. He backed down in large part b/c Bush won reelection. What, Syria is going to let a few demontrators force them to evacuate? They flattened a villiage full of civilians.

Ace, Taranto's on an INTEGRITY kick. (first item "Too Much Integrity")

I admire your fortitude hobgoblin.
And the name calling was sweet.

laura

Thx.

I'm not gona do that often, but that fool was seriously stunted in the brainpan department. I don't want any of his similarly afflicted brethren from DU get any ideas about Ace's.

Well, regardless of impact, here is how to ultimately eliminate Syrian influence. Go right into Damascus and cut off the head (via Instapundit):

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=12851

So how long before Assad develops Excedrin Headache # .357?

How long before Saddam is ass-raping Assad in their shared jail cell? He'll need that Excedrin...

Let's hope Syria doesn't copy the French formula for reducing their "footprint" in the middle east and make their soldiers all stand on one leg, thereby reducing the "footprint" of their "boots on the ground" by one half immediately.

Ten fingers,

Saddam always seemed like the bitch to me. But chinless Assad is such the creepy worm that I can't imagine him being the man of the house, so to speak.

Well, I guess my imagery has more to do with "South Park" than actual reality...

...or does it?

TF6S, lol

"Really, Saddam, it's nice to have you over. I know you and Satan had a thing, but there's no reason we can't act like adults."

So was Satan Saddam's bitch or the other way around?

I think that Satan was Saddam's bitch.

The Americans' attention span is short enough Assad is probably hoping they'll lose interest before his "pullout" is started, let alone complete.

Insta has it right: go in, cut off the head, let elections happen. The worms will die away as they kill themselves killing their own countrymen "in the name of Allah!"

What a waste. But if someone from the outside doesn't kick Assad'd butt, no one from the inside will, that's for sure.

Does anybody else think that Robert Fisk has blood on his hands for exposing the name of Saddams judge?

I wonder what Fisk will say now that the guys dead?

I seriously doubt that we'll have to drive the Third ID, Fourth Mech and First MarDiv to Damascus. Young Dr. Assad wasn't raised to be the dictator, his big brother was.
Assad can see the US at the front door and the Izzies at the back. It's just now sinking in that Kerry isn't going to be running anything in time to save his Daddy's Baathist Regime. Young Assad is looking at his options. On the one hand he's got death or imprisonment, on the other the life of a wealhy doctor/playboy. I'd be very surprised if he takes the long shot gamble of keeping power that he never particularly wanted. He'll settle for being the revered figure that oversaw the transition from brutal tyrany to some form of democracy. Bet on it.

Peter, I sincerely hope that you're right. The darker scenario is that the basher tries to stay in power. A mass killing of the Syrian demonstrators is what I have in mind.