Election Watch

Surprisingly, Syrian TV started special live coverage of the American elections, with analyses, discussions, interviews with correspondents and journalists from Syria and the US, and also an elegant news ticker running at the bottom of the screen all the time! For those who do not think this as an improvement in our national screen's news covergae, be reminded that last year, while Baghdad was falling and TV stations all around the world were airing the event, Syrian TV preferred to broadcast a documentary about Islamic Architecture.

Anyway, all Syrians are closely watching the elections today. But most of them either do not care about who will win or want a Kerry victory; and nobody, absolutely nobody, wants Bush to win. It's not only about his notorious image as the one who invaded Iraq and gave unprecedented support to the Butcher of Israel. The general feeling here is that if Bush wins, he will increase pressure on Syria, impose tougher sanctions or even use military force. Of course, Kerry will not necessarily be better, and no one actually expects him to change US policy on issues like Iraq and Palestine. But there can be nobody worse than Bush, Syrian supporters of Kerry simply argue. I agree.