Doug Ross @ Journal

Fascist Halfwit

The imperial leader of Syria was pegged in Slate Magazine nearly two years ago by Chris Suellentrop.

Whether you consider Bashar Assad an evil moron (per Suellentrop) or simply a fascist halfwit (my preferred term), there is no doubt that he was called out by President Bush last night in the SOTU. Suellentrop, writing in April of 2003:

By foolishly providing moral and material support to Iraq during the war—and, the administration says, now by harboring high-ranking Iraqi officials—he's created an environment that makes it possible for a Democratic presidential candidate (Florida Sen. Bob Graham) to openly support war with Syria. Already some hawks are pointing to the tantalizing parallels between Saddam's Iraq and Assad's Syria. Weapons of mass destruction? Check. Support for terrorism? Check. Repressive domestic intelligence services? Check. The comparisons go further: Both countries were ruled by tyrannical men who are not members of the ethnic majority. (Saddam was a Sunni who ruled over a largely Shiite country, and Assad is an Alawite who rules over a Sunni majority.) To top things off, Syria even has a Baath Party and a Republican Guard. No one expects war anytime soon, but Assad's stupidity has put the subject on the table.

There was hope for Assad when he took power in 2000. With an M.D. degree in Ophthalmology, granted in the U.K., there was hope Assad would throw off the shackles of fascism imposed by his father, the late Hafez Assad.

Well, it's 2005 now and Syria has continued to do some very moronic things.

Since 1979, it's been a State Department All-Star, listed as a nation sponsoring terrorism

Provides material support to Hamas

Permits Iran to support Hezbollah in Lebanon

Rumored to have taken possession of Saddam's chemical and biological weapons, moves facilitated by the corrupt leadership of France and others, who were paid to delay the war in Iraq as long as possible

Occupying Lebanon with troops -- ostensibly to 'protect it from Israel' -- and has installed its own puppet government and infrastructure

Defying a UN order to restore Lebanon's sovereignty

Rumored to be harboring members of Saddam's old regime

And no matter how hard the axis of stupidity squinches their eyes shut, it's crystal clear that Syria and its dimbulb leaders are facilitating some evil, evil activity.

The hammer can't come down fast enough on the fascist halfwit and his handlers.

Honest Reporting: Special Report: Syria