Outrage of the week: absurd levels in defending the Asad dictatorship

"Now the real litmus of Arab intellectuals’ and activists’ commitment to the Palestinian cause is no longer their support for Palestinian rights, but rather, their support for the Assad leadership's struggle against the imperialist-Zionist-Arab moderate axis’ onslaught against it."  Litmus test according to whom?  Who sets this litmus test?  Rami Makhluf or Dunya TV?  Let me get this absurd notion: so one need not support Palestinian struggle because support for the Asad dictatorship suffices?   Also, the Asad regime is NOT in any way struggling against "the moderate axis".  The regime is merely struggling to stay in power: do you see Bashshar EVER speaking out against Saudi regime and alliances? Do you see him ever even responding to hourly Saudi propaganda attacks on him?  He does not dare.  No, because he wants to eventually reach a compromise with that Arab ruling order to stay in power.  Also, if support for the Asad regime is the litmus test, please register me as failing in that test every minute of my life, ever since the Syrian regime intervened in Lebanon in 1976 to crush progressive Palestinian and Lebanese struggle--real struggle--against "the imperialist-Zionist-Arab moderate axis".  The Asad regime was for many years part of that axis until it was kicked out for reasons that have nothing to do with the struggle.  The Asad regime failed the Palestinians at every crucial moment of Palestinian struggle but that is a long subject that requires an article: the regime failed the Palestinians when they were being slaughtered in Jordan in 1970, and failed the Palestinians when they were being slaughtered by pro-Israeli militias in Lebanon, and even engineered the war on the camps against the Palestinians in Lebanon.  The litmus test for Arab intellectuals should entail opposition to all Arab regimes without exception, unless one wants to pick sides in the regional conflict between Arab dictators and other Arab dictators.  (thanks "Ibn Rushd")