DEALING WITH DAMASCUS: ISOLATE ASSAD - New York Post: Postopinion

August 21, 2006 -- NOTICE anything different about the recent round of diplomatic efforts to resolve Lebanon's latest crisis? Strikingly, Syria was nowhere to be found.

Thankfully, for the first time in years, Damascus played no visible role in resolving a Lebanese predicament. Just like Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon last year after a 30-year occupation, this is good news.

In fact, it also gives the Bush administration a small victory, vindicating its policy of isolating the mischief-making dictatorship of Syrian strongman, Basher, er, Bashar Assad. Assad was even forced to try to jack up his sinking stock, using a "rah-rah" speech last week in Damascus, where he scolded his weak Arab brethren and offered his laughable leadership to the Arab cause.

While Damascus attempts to make itself relevant again, taking advantage of the Syrian/Iranian-inspired destruction in Lebanon, now isn't the time to cave to "feel-good" efforts to engage the Assad regime.

On the contrary, now is the time to turn the international spotlight on Damascus' treachery in the recent Israel-Hezbollah war, and look to others to put the squeeze on Assad and his Baathist cronies.