A Slap In The Face: Assad Lectures Obama On Peace And Stability In The Mideast

When the leader of the country that is a leading sponsor of terrorism, assassinates Lebanese leaders and supplies weapons to Hezbollah lectures Obama on his failure to promote peace--you can get a sense of just how badly US foreign policy there is going.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said Monday that the United States has lost its influence in the Middle East due to its failure to contribute to regional peace, in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.


U.S. President Barack Obama "raised hopes" in the region, said Assad, but has failed to accomplish any significant peace maneuvers.

Assad's comments came just before Obama was to meet with Lebanon Prime Minister Sa'ad al-Hariri to raise Washington's concerns about Syria arming Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

The Syrian leader met on Sunday with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Damascus earlier Sunday and urged the West to "break its silence" in the face of Israeli "aggression" in the Middle East.

During their talks, Assad denounced "the ongoing Israeli threats to ignite wars and undermine the stability in the region."

After all, if the Obama administration won't call terrorism by its name and says it wants to pursue a policy of treating Syria like a member of the civilized world, then you can be sure that Syria will be only too happy to assume the position of a player and lecture Obama on what he should be doing.

If the past is any indication though, Assad's comments will only encourage Obama to seek new ways to talk to Syria and woo it away from Iran.

This is getting embarrassing.

Technorati Tag: Obama and Syria and Bashar Assad.