He does, and so does Obama. To be honest, it is very very complicated. Basically you have

Assad, who is Alewite. Sunni muslims consider Alewites to be heretics and worse, not even human - seriously to the point of some really believing they have tails. Remember the youtube of the "rebel" officer eating the heart of a government soldier ? That wasn't just bravado or intimidation. That was a symbolic reference to massacres of Alevis / Alewites a thousand years ago
.
Turkey's (pretending not to be) Islamic government is very anti-Alewite (and anti Alevi, their own brand of that particular sect), hence the opposition to Assad.

Assad has not been the most lovely of people, but is an educated man. It would have been madness to launch a chemical attack especially after so many warnings, etc. I'm not saying they were not responsible, but the possibility of the culprits not being organised government forces is at least present. Refer to news stories earlier in the year (Jan/Feb?) suggesting the US had consider manipulating certain groups to stage such an attack. (not saying I believe that but smoke, fire etc).

Syria has so far resisted many attempts to drag it into a foreign war - Turkey's pathetic attempt with the downed F4 last year which even the Turkish people found ridiculous, Turkey again attacking across the border because of stray shells landing in their territory, Israel attacking Syria because of reasons I cannot even remember.

Assad is not a nice leader by western standards, but do not forget this is the middle east and an absolute tinderbox. What he has achieved, similar to Gadhaffi, is to keep the country stable for many years. If there is a vacuum of leadership or an Islamic government to replace him, it would be an absolute massacre.

Add in the Kurdish question, and Iran, and it is all starting to get very very complicated.

All I'm saying is don't believe the black and white you read from John Kerry etc. It's far more complicated than that. We have very little idea what is going on there.

Posted By: Steve in Holland, Aug 27, 10:30:06