Sleiman Enjoys Wide popular Support

The people in Lebanon seem to be thrilled by the prospect of a Sleiman Presidency.

Unplugging the news channel. Beirut graffiti…

I confess, my sample wasn’t in any way scientific. The people I asked about Mr. Suleiman were my Grandfather, two aunts, and many random people in my extended network. But the trend was clear. It doesn’t matter if the people I asked were partisan or apolitical, they all gave more or less the same answer: “That’s the best thing our political class came up with in months”.

Cedar Revolution intellectuals are indignant. The foreign press sees Mr. Suleiman as an American concession to Syria. But on the ground, people appear to be overjoyed by what they perceive as the end of a bitter political deadlock. Retailers see this as the key to a succesful Christmas season, the diaspora can finally hope to buy that ticket to Lebanon and moms can finally hope send their children to schools without having to buy each and every one of them a cell phone.

My neighbor Joumana spoke for many people when she said that she no longer watches the news. She and her husband are only watching the Cartoon Network, she told me.

“Any president is better than no president” the careful are saying. But many are also going out on a limb. “Mr. Suleiman is not any president, he’s the best man out there for the job” said a confident 80 year old. But that seems too ambitious. Anyway, only history can judge…