NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE CYNICISM - AT 7:30 A.M. ET:  From The Washington Post:

President Obama has decided to return a U.S. ambassador to Syria after an absence of more than four years, marking a significant step toward engaging an influential Arab nation long at odds with the United States.

The acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, Jeffrey D. Feltman, informed Syria's ambassador to Washington, Imad Mustafa, tonight of Obama's intention, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision had yet to be made public.

COMMENT:  Syria is one of the strongest backers of the Iranian regime.  And here we are rewarding Syria...at this time.  The cynicism is pathetic.  You'll notice that the demonstrators in Iran are not shouting "Obama!  Obama!"  The only people still shouting that are probably in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or Berkeley, California. 

This administration has thus far been the most indifferent toward human rights since Bush 41.  Not a great record to stand on.

June 24, 2009