I am starting to smell a rat. Another assassination in Lebanon

[ck4829]

"A prominent anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker was killed by a car bomb Monday, a day after returning from France, where he had been staying periodically for fear of assassination.

A previously unknown group claimed responsibility, saying Gibran Tueni was "spreading poisons and lies despite our repeated warnings to him."

Tueni played a major role in the huge demonstrations that, combined with international pressure, forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April, ending a 29-year presence in the neighboring country. Those demonstrations were triggered by a February car bomb that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Tueni's uncle, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, and the leading Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt blamed Syria for the bombing — a charge Syria denied."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051212/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_explosion

Hmmmm, something doesn't seem right here, but I just can't place my finger on it.

[applegrove]

1. Pretty obvious the Syrians are terrified of democratic movement in

Lebannon. Tragedy. Think of the wasted intellectuals & justices & journalists because they either watch what they say, move out of the region or fight and surround themselves with bodyguards.

Think of how the intellectuals, journalists and judges shaped our countries and established democratic traditions. Think how many it took - over hundreds of years. (Politicians too).

Just a horror.

[applegrove]

2. The people of Lebannon really love their country. Many are aching to

go back from North America and build up their nation. Some do - and then shit like this happens and they start to move away again. Lebannon was a wonderful place not 40 years ago. A wonderful country.

[bemildred]

3. I did find the message claiming responsibility singularly unconvincing.

The use of language especially, although it may have been the translation.

And it did seem clear that it was intended to implicate Syria, which given Syria's public behavior of late would not seem to be the sort of thing Syria would do, they'd try to point the blame somewhere else.

And the timing with the release of Mehlis' smear job is certainly odd, although I suppose it may well be fortuitous.

But yeah, it stinks.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. The key question now is What does our VP want?

Syria has been trying to make nice nice about the investigation. Several high ranking officials have resigned as a result of the prelim findings, and one apparently committed suicide. Syria's border is under attack daily by US airplanes.

The LAST thing that Cheney wants is Syria welcomed into the middle east as a friendly, respected player. It screws up all his plans.

I doubt that Syria, after all the microscopic examinations and questions, would be so stupid as to kill someone in Lebanon so soon. Now, if a third party, one extremely interested in continuing the strife between Syria and its neighbors, had a powerful secret service, the means, methods and training to pull off such a killing, and if they happened to be close to America's VP, would anyone put it past them to act in this manner, just to keep the heat on Syria?

Geez. I wonder who that would be, especially if Lebanon's southern border would be ripe for a new take over as a result.

And to add to this, just what did the PNAC WHIGs want most of all? Israel to be the dominant player in the region, after the US.

This is not paranoia, this is simple guesswork, mixed with the past behavior of these same parties.

[bemildred]

7. I don't see any reason to assume it's Mossad either.

Could be Hiz'bullah for instance. The method reminds me of a number of other attacks, relatively sparsely distributed over time, there was one in Gaza a few years back that killed some CIA types. But Syria just seems the least likely perpetrator to me at this point.

[applegrove]

8. Please. The Syrians are more than capable or being bad. Why on

earth would the West do something to the person who is "with them" in the attack on Syria?

[bemildred]

9. Bad is not the issue, stupid is.

It would be stupid for them to do this, and the message is unconvincing.

[Old and In the Way]

10. Lebanon - Good! Syria - Bad!

"Why on Earth would the West do something to the person who is "with them" in the attack on Syria?"

Who is this "West" that you speak of? You really sound as naive about ME politics and this administration's geo-strategic agenda there as you do about their complicity in stealing our domestic elections.

[applegrove]

11. No - I'm discerning. I agree whole-heartedly that elections & democracy

has been stolen in the USA - I just think it was done in ways alot more sophisticated than stealing votes out of a machine. And for that reason - it is alot more dangerous.

I would imagine that this journalist was a great thinker with a following - something like a Khrugman in the USA. Someone who can cut through all the crap. And that he undid much of the dominance the Syrians had over Lebanon. Remember Lebanon is a resource rich, arable land rich, people rich, potentially lifestyle rich part of the world. It could really go it alone. And that is scary to ruling elites like the royal family in Syrian. Because democracy could really take there very quickly. And the "old Lebanon" is not so far back in the minds of the people (meaning peace & prosperity). And nothing is more dangerous to a strongman than a thriving and quickly realized democracy next door. It would destabilize all the strongmen.

Lebanon is dangerous because it has every reason to succeed. Look at it like that and you will see the chances that a particular & rare Lebanese journalist could lead the way to clarity at warp speed. And to take out those 5 or six political, journalistic, intellectual, activistic minds - every generation - is all it takes to keep people in the dark for another decade.

The "west" already has the goods on Syria.

So I used an euphemism for the USA. I wanted to be vague since the people claiming it was some "other operation" were vague too. Fair is fair.

[Nimrod2005]

4. Should the US step in and help the new govt. of Lebanon?

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Well, as long as we're "in the neighborhood" . . .

But seriously, the coincidence is rather telling. I don't believe that some troops will be sent back to this country, but rather re-deployed to another war theatre.

[Nimrod2005]

12. Why not here, I would have thought, killing off Hizballah would have

sent Iran, Iraq, and Syria a strong message, we would ahve done this without having to deploy so many troops and occupy a country.