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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (675115)	3/14/2005 12:29:37 PM
From: DizzyG	Respond to of 769670

Apparently you missed the elections this year, Kenneth. :) The US electorate is on to the petty games played by the left. Diz-

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (675115)	3/14/2005 12:32:03 PM
From: DizzyG	Respond to of 769670

But don't let me stop you, Kenneth. Rant on. :) Diz-

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (675115)	3/14/2005 2:29:34 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769670

Rally Against Syria Appears to Be Largest Yet in Beirut By NEIL MacFARQUHAR EIRUT, Lebanon, March 14 - Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese jammed the center of downtown Beirut today, packing its central square and spilling out onto the surrounding roads, in the largest demonstration yet demanding the withdrawal of all Syrian forces from the country. Nearly every available space around the square was filled with people flying the Lebanese flag, in what was probably the largest demonstration ever seen in Lebanon. In the main mosque, still under construction, demonstrators crammed the tiny balconies high up on the four minarets, balconies that the muezzin traditionally use to sing out the call to prayer. A few daredevils inched their way out along the huge construction crane looming over the square to drape a flag at the end. There have been rallies in the center of the city on every Monday since former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed four Mondays ago, on Feb. 14, but organizers were determined to make this one especially large as an answer the pro-Syrian march last Tuesday that also filled the downtown with hundreds of thousands of mostly Shiite demonstrators. "This will counterbalance last Tuesday, and now we can sit and talk," said Mazen al-Zain, a 30-year-old financial analyst, taking pains to note that he was from an illustrious Shiite family from the south. "What is really important after today's gathering is that we all sit down at the same table." The presence of such a huge number of Lebanese put added pressure on the government of Syria to announce a serious timetable for the withdrawal of both its 14,000 troops and estimated 5,000 secret police officers in the country. Although President Bashar al-Assad gave a United Nations envoy a limited timetable during talks on Saturday, the full extent of the withdrawal remains unclear. But the marchers today were convinced that the size of the opposition to Syria meant that the withdrawal was only a matter of time. "They are trying to prove they are still strong to their nation while they are retreating," said Samer Khoury, 32, a manager in the Virgin megastore overlooking Martyrs Square where the demonstrators gathered. The store's former parking lot is now the burial place for Mr. Hariri and the bodyguards who died with him. Last Tuesday's rally took place in the nearby Riad al-Solh square, because the two sides take care not to cause undue friction by stepping onto each other's turf. But President Émile Lahoud incensed many by suggesting that the demonstrations should end because someone might throw a hand grenade, possibly setting off a renewed civil war. "Who is going to fight who?" asked Marwan Kayrouz, 33, a real estate investor. "All the factions are here." Indeed, on the square it was possible to find veiled Sunni Muslim women from Tripoli, Shiites from scattered points around the country, Druse and Maronite Christians. There was a distinctly different dress code among the demonstrators as well, with some women sporting bare midriffs and pierced belly buttons. A few of the banners cemented the theme of unity by displaying both a cross and a crescent. Some of the banners displayed a bit of wit: "Long Live the Syrians in Syria," one said. More than a few participants remarked that the late prime minister was able to unify far more people in death than he had been in life. A huge banner hung on the giant mosque right above the burial spot. "Your absence enhances your presence" it said in black letters on a blue background. The demonstrators have adopted blue as the color demanding the truth from the investigation into Mr. Hariri's assassination and two long blue scarves were draped around the neck of the two main figures in the famous statue on Martyrs squre, the blue cloth occasionally lifting in the slight breeze under sunny skies.