I was just sitting there searching for information on the Syrian President, Dr. Bashar Al-Assad, when I realized just how sad people can be. First of all, they compare this guy to Saddam Hussein and they assume that total power is vested in this one man. What I realized next was just how privileged I am to be smart comapred to most people who write simple garbage on the Internet. For those of you who write this trash online and for those of you who believe it, I think you might find this article quite helpful.

Let me give you a brief biography on the Syrian President. First of all, he is the second eldest son of the late president, Hafez Al-Assad. Although he spent a good amount of time serving in the Syrian military, his main passion was with ophthalmology- specializing in the study of the eyes, which he was pursuing while he was in the United Kingdom. Basically, he wanted to become an eye doctor, not a head of state. That all changed on January 21, 1994, when his older brother, Bassel, was killed in an automobile accident. His father saw to it that Bashar's future lay in Syria's presidency. Although he was reluctant at first to except the job, he eventually sided with his father's wishes and prepared to be groomed. He inherited Syria's presidency on July 17, 2000, just 37 days after the death of his father. He is married to Asma Al-Akhras, a Syrian businesswoman who was born and lived in Britain; she was on her way to study for an MBA at Harvard Univeristy before marrying the Syrian President. They have two sons and a daughter.

I have told you quite a bit about Bashar Al-Assad and now its time to analyse just why he is the right man for the job. Let's first start with his military career. Bashar did train in the military, but not to the extent that his older brother was involved in. Today, he holds a plethora of military titles, but they are solely symbolic since they are required for a head of state. Thus, we can now see that his main ambition was never to become a president, since military expertise is required as I have already explained. You may be thinking to yourselves that the only reason he did not pursue a military career was because he never expected to become president, but that's untrue since his younger brother Maher became deeply involved in the military.

Secondly, he studied opthalmology in the United Kingdom. While he were in London, he witnessed exactly what the West could achieve. This became the basis for his plans to reform Syria politically, economically, and socially. Some are arguing that after five years, he should have achieved much more than is at present. My advise is go to Syria, since you've probably haven't and see to yourself what has changed- the Internet has come to Syria, women have been encouraged to enter into the field of business (partly thanks to Mrs. Al-Assad), people have begun to speak up on the lows and highs of the government. This was never the case five years ago. Also, bear in mind that Bashar needs to balance out his agenda with that of the old guard, the establishment that the President inherited from his father.

Unlike most world leaders, Bashar is a family man in the eyes of the public. His three children are all still infants and his wife is very popular in the eyes of the people. Ask people what they like most about the President, and tehre's a good chance they will say his family. His wife, who could be considered British until she moved to Damascus, is very educated and understands the needs of country like Syria. There are occasions when Bashar and his wife engage with the people and ask them what they hope to see. There was even talk that before he became president, he would give people his number to contact him regarding any problems they had (although this is still not verified).

You may think to yourself that the people have to show him affection because if they don't bad things will happen to them- this utter nonsense. Take for example, President Assad's visit to the UK in December 2002. As he and his wife arrived at the Dorchester Hotel, hundreds of Syrian expatriots were chanting their admiration for him- yes in Britain, a country where they don't have to do that. Syrians genuinely like Bashar. Even the Muslim Brotherhood, who fought against his father, have come to realize that he is the right man for the job at this point, especially since he released many of their colleagues from prison.

There are many people out there who underestimate him. These comparisons to Saddam Hussein are clearly garbage. Saddam would not have let his prisoners out of jails; he most likely would have executed them. If George W. Bush continues with this pressure, it may help Bashar sideline the old guard as he pushes for his reforms. If Bush wants to do something else, my advice is just to remember the Bay of Pigs fiasco. The major miscalculation was the support Castro had from his people. If the US wants to execute the same scenario, Syria will only go back in time. Right now, the right man for the job is Bashar!