Dennis Kucinich in Damascus

I wrote about this in Arabic on Facebook and I need to write about it in English.  The propaganda of the Syrian regime and the propaganda of its allies on Lebanon can't be more wrong about the significance of the visit by Kucinich to Damascus and his meeting with Bashshar.  Kucinich is a dissident leftist in the House of Representatives and does not speak for the administration and his trip in no way reflect a shift in the attitude of the regime--unlike the silly interpretations peddled by supporters of the Syrian regime.  Kucinich is a staunch advocate of the Palestinians and follows Lebanese politics closely (I reported when he called me two years ago to discuss Lebanon and to tell me about his meeting with Fu'ad Sanyurah).   But Bashshar is always eager to win favor with the US: if I send a student to Damascus, I bet Bashshar would find three hours of time to discuss anything with him/her.