President Bush Shouldn’t Come To Lebanon

Why it’s a bad Idea for the American President to come to Lebanon during his Middle East trip.

According to the Wall Street Journal, President Bush might add Lebanon as a “surprise” stop in his trip

“My guess is the headlines from this trip are going to come from the unannounced visits,” said Jonathan Alterman, head of the Mideast program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in a briefing with reporters. “There are lots of places he could go that you wouldn’t want…announced in advance for security reasons that would be a big deal. And I think that is part of the bittersweet irony of this trip: that the two places that the administration has closest to its heart, Iraq and Lebanon, are places the president can’t announce he’s visiting.”

We’re flattered that Lebanon is close to Mr. Bush’s heart, but unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual. Even the supporters of P.M. Seniora -arguably Mr. Bush’s favorite Lebanese- don’t like Mr. Bush one bit. 

The average Lebanese won’t forget Mr. Bush’s stance during the War on Lebanon in 2006, where not only did he support the Israeli onslaught, but he actively sent ammunitions to the Israeli army. 

Mr. Bush is tempted to come because Lebanon can still be portrayed as a Middle Eastern “bright spot”. But by showing up, Mr. Bush risks undermining his allies by unwittingly propping up Syria and Iran’s allies. The opposition is secretly wishing him to come because of its internal political predicament. Since it can’t find any cause to rally around without damaging its internal position, a Bush visit will give it a perfect excuse to take to the streets and paralyze the country.

Lebanon is a small country and even a surprise visit by Mr. Bush could ignite spontaneous demonstrations by tens of thousands of Lebanese and their mothers. A very strong street showing against Mr. Bush could play in the hands of the opposition and needlessly embarrass his Lebanese allies.

For everyone’s benefit, Mr. Bush should skip the Tabbouleh.