Hezbollah says Biden visit interferes in election
 

BEIRUT – Vice President Joe Biden reinforced U.S. support for Lebanon's government Friday ahead of key parliamentary elections that could see the pro-Western faction ousted by Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies.

Hezbollah has accused Washington of trying to influence the June 7 election in favor of the pro-Western faction that dominates the government. The militant group said Friday that the visit by Biden and an earlier one by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton raised "strong suspicion and amounted to a clear and detailed interference in Lebanon's affairs."

Biden is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Lebanon in more than 25 years and the second from the Obama administration in about a month, following Clinton's trip. The attention underscores Washington's concerns about a possible win by Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist group.

The White House said Biden's visit was meant "to reinforce the United States' support for an independent and sovereign Lebanon."
With the election about two weeks away, this deeply divided nation is in the throes of an increasingly abrasive election campaign that has split voters into two main camps. A pro-Western camp made up mainly of Sunnis favors close ties to America, France and moderate Sunni Arab countries while the other faction is dominated by Shiites and backed by U.S. foes Iran and Syria.

Hezbollah, which is highly critical of U.S. Mideast policy and has a strong anti-Israeli agenda, is looking to strengthen its political hold beyond the veto power it currently has in the government. The Shiite group has only 14 seats in the 128-seat parliament, but got the veto power after a show of force a year ago when its gunmen overran Sunni neighborhoods in Beirut.

The coalition dominated by the heavily armed group stands a good chance of winning, which could increase the influence of its sponsors Iran and Syria in the region. Israel and U.S. Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt are concerned about the growing influence of Iran in the Middle East, especially through the militant groups Tehran backs such as Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza.

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My first thought when reading the headline of this post was...Duh....

Of course a terrorist organization is not going to like the fact that the 2nd in Command of a strong Free nation is visiting....

Will that free nation accept the outcome if that terrorist organization won the election free and fair? There's a possibility that Hizbullah and its allies might win the election.

Winning an election doesn't mean that other countries will automatically respect you. We'll just have to then acknowledge the fact that a majority of the votes cast were cast in favor of an organization which is hell-bent on destroying one of our allies. I figure we'll then proceed to deal with the organization accordingly.

You're insinuating that the US will take some action against the new Hezbollah government, right? Is that insinuation negative?

The political arm of Hezbollah is pretty thinly veiled as an arm of its more radical parent organization - it's not as if there have been great strides on its part that should absolve it of its history by association. I would imagine that any such government would immediately be viewed as a potential enemy of the United States - but that implies things like "sanctions" and "maneuvering in political channels" much more than it implies "forceful opposition" nowadays, unless you think there is an impending move against Iran (among others), right?

Elections
 

My oldest son, who has a great sense of humor was wondering what kind of conversation future terrorists would have after graduating from high school. "Where are you going to college? Are you going to pledge Hezbollah, Hamas or go with Al Queda? What are you majoring in? I am taking Bomb Building 101 my first semester."

It was good to have a laugh over this although the truth of the matter is not funny at all. Sometimes we need a bit of comic relief.

Paula M.
Sigma Delta Tau
Patrae Multi Spes Una
One Hope of Many People

Yes, I do believe that the US will do its part in trying to making sure Hezbollah will not win the election. It's never in te US interest to truly see a democratic middle east, if the will of the people will not abide by US interest. Nothing wrong with that, its all part of geo-politics. Just be honest about it, "democracy is welcomed only if it does not clash with our interest."

We don't have to welcome the actions of a democracy simply because the actions are that of a democracy. If those actions are clearly against our national interest, we have every right to be opposed.

So, in essence, the whole spreading democracy is just a bunch of BS?

Look at it less as "spreading democracy" and more as "defeating regime-based ideologues" and you'll see the answer more clearly.