Meanwhile, on the Syria/Lebanon border...

[Deckard]

Breathless neocons are issuing alarmist warnings about a possible Syrian invasion of northern Lebanon.

"Just when you thought that the Middle East couldn't support yet another crisis -- after all, there's Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan-Pakistan, and throw in Georgia, too -- the Syria-Lebanon front is heating up. This is serious stuff."


A Syrian invasion of Lebanon, right in the thick of US election fever.

Mmmmmm.

Even McCain couldn't engineer that one.

See also Fears rise in Lebanon of Syria return

And on an unrelated (?) note, this just added to the BBC news ticker - Syria rebuffs nuclear inspectors.

Please no. We don't need it, period.

And we need it even less in the next 31 days.

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Originally Posted by Deckard

Breathless neocons are issuing alarmist warnings about a possible Syrian invasion of northern Lebanon.

"Just when you thought that the Middle East couldn't support yet another crisis -- after all, there's Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan-Pakistan, and throw in Georgia, too -- the Syria-Lebanon front is heating up. This is serious stuff."


A Syrian invasion of Lebanon, right in the thick of US election fever.

Mmmmmm.

Even McCain couldn't engineer that one.




See also Fears rise in Lebanon of Syria return

And on an unrelated (?) note, this just added to the BBC news ticker - Syria rebuffs nuclear inspectors.

Please no. We don't need it, period.

And we need it even less in the next 31 days.

At this point in time, I don't see how it's any of our business.

[dubman]

obama camp could totally angle this one if they needed to

"a wartime situation and you want to let *another* republican try and handle it? do we just accumulate massive debt and ask for more? this is ridiculous."

[IsiliRunite]

Afghanistan and Pakistan aren't considered part of the greater middle East, are they?

[Deckard]

Originally Posted by dubman

obama camp could totally angle this one if they needed to

"a wartime situation and you want to let *another* republican try and handle it? do we just accumulate massive debt and ask for more? this is ridiculous."

That would be the way I'd hope they'd run with it. Obviously it depends on how it develops, particularly if the US somehow manages to get embroiled in it. If that happens, the Obama camp will have to struggle against the silencing cloak of national unity and patriotism and all that jazz.

Originally Posted by IsiliRunite

Afghanistan and Pakistan aren't considered part of the greater middle East, are they?

No idea. I guess they're part of the ideological Middle East if not the geographical.

[cacophony]

Originally Posted by IsiliRunite

Afghanistan and Pakistan aren't considered part of the greater middle East, are they?

considered by whom? the greater world population or the two thirds of all americans aged 18-24 who can't find iraq on a map? or the 33% who can't identify louisiana, or the 47% can't find india, or the 75% who think english is the most widely spoken language in the world?

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Originally Posted by cacophony

considered by whom? the greater world population or the two thirds of all americans aged 18-24 who can't find iraq on a map? or the 33% who can't identify louisiana, or the 47% can't find india, or the 75% who think english is the most widely spoken language in the world?

Thank You.

[Deckard]

'US troops' strike inside Syria

US helicopter-borne troops have carried out a raid inside Syria along the Iraqi border, killing eight people including four children, Syrian officials say.

The official Syrian news agency Sana said the raid took place in the Abu Kamal border area, in eastern Syria.

It said that American soldiers on four helicopters had stormed a building under construction on Sunday night.

The US says it is investigating. It has previously accused Syria of allowing foreign militants into Iraq.

Syria has summoned the US and Iraqi envoys in Damascus to protest at the raid.

"Syria condemns this aggressive act and holds American forces responsible for this aggression and all of its repercussions," a government official said.

If confirmed, the raid would be the first known attack by US forces inside Syrian territory, says the BBC's Natalia Antelava.

This seems to have taken some people by 'surprise'.
And it's still October.

(They wouldn't, would they? It would be too damn transparent wouldn't it?)

[chuck]

At least no-one's yet been harmed in the Hummus conflict that's developing between Israel and Lebanon.

There's bound to be some weapons of mass falafel in there somewhere.

[Deckard]

the lawsuit would be based on the 2002 case in which Greece won a ruling that only its cheese can be called Feta.

Feta? Trrrst group, innit?