USA TODAY: Taking inspiration from the rapid unraveling of the regime in Libya, thousands of Syrians poured into the streets and taunted President Bashar Assad with shouts that his family’s 40-year dynasty will be the next dictatorship to crumble.
Assad, who has tried in vain to crush the 5-month-old revolt, appears increasingly out of touch as he refuses to acknowledge the hundreds of thousands of people demanding his ouster, analysts say. Instead, he blames the unrest on Islamic extremists and thugs.,,
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland dismissed the idea of arming the Syrian rebels. “I don’t think anybody thinks that more guns into Syria is going to be the right answer right now,” she said. “The Syrians themselves don’t want that. So that’s why our focus has been on political and economic pressure.”… (more)
