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Wednesday, January 25, 2006

May Chidiac to take on Aoun?

According to as-Safir today, the March 14 alliance will nominate LBC journalist May Chidiac to fill MP Edmond Naim's seat in the Baabda-Aley district. The idea was reportedly proposed by Saad Hariri and it seems to have gained the support of both both Jumblatt and Geagea. Chidiac survived an assassination attempt in September 2005. She lost an arm and leg, but apparently not her fighting spirit.

If Chidiac agrees, it will deal a blow to Aoun, who, less than a hour after Naim's death, announced that he "will fight the electoral battle along with Hizbullah". Until now, Aoun and Hizbullah's chances for winning the election were very good, given Hizbullah's electoral weight in that district. But May will probably attract most of the Christian vote, putting Aoun and his supporters in a rather embarrassing situation: Will the Aounists really ally themselves with a pro-Syrian party against a victim of Syrian brutality?

May won't fill the void left by Gebran Tueni, but the symbolism of her running in the election will give the March 14 movement a much needed momentum. In addition to putting Aoun in an unenviable position to field a candidate against a popular anti-Syrian journalist, it should serve a reminder to Hizbullah that they are not the only party in Lebanon that suffered at the hands of an oppressor.

UPDATE: Never mind, Saad Hariri has denied the as-Safir report, describing it as a "fabrication".

UPDATE 2. And May announced Friday that she will run!

Comments:
The problem with Lebanese Politicians is that they never get the right person for the right job! Sympathy for May Chidiac is probably the only way that the March 14th alliance can win the seat from the HA-FPM alliance. May Chidiac seems to be a wonderful woman but not much of a politician. I see it as desperate move by the March 14th alliance in order not to lose a seat. Until now nothing is known we will have to wait and see!
 
“May will probably attract most of the Christian vote”

Wishful thinking my dear Kais, for most voters in the Baada-Aley district be they Christians, Shiites or Taoists know better: they’re aware of the fact that “independent journalist” May Chidiac is actually employed by a wholly Saudi-owned media group- no wonder her name was “suggested” by faux sheikh Saad Al-Hariri!

In 1815, Tsar Alexander founded the « Holy Alliance » bringing together the autocratic regimes of Austria, Prussia and Russia in an attempt to repress the democratic aspirations of the people of Europe.

Fast Forward 2005: Tsar Abdullah Ibn Saud founded the “Unholy March 14 Alliance” bringing together fascist war criminals (Forces Libanaises), Soviet-trained ethnic cleansers (the Druze “Socialist” party) and media-savvy Wahhâbi lobbyists (the Hariri gang).

This weird mish mash of murderous militiamen and Saudi-sponsored war profiteers had been cooked methodically for many years by the Saudi regime, notably when they acquired LBC TV (May Chidiac’s current employer), an avowedly right-wing Lebanese Christian network that suddenly decided to adopt a pro-Islamist editorial line...petrodollars have no odors as they say in Saudistan!

General Michel Aoun and his secularist allies have decided to put an end to the sinister activities of the slick Taleban of Qoreytem and their newfound neo-Nazi friends: the Baabda-Aley by-election will be a moment of truth for Lebanon as well as for the rest of the Middle-East...
 
Yes I see, there is an utmost need to go back to Tsar Alexander and 1815 Russia to discuss the Baabda-Aley election.

And Vic you fake erudite: for the umpteenth time look up the meaning of "(sic)" which you are so fond of using out of context, like the rest of your arguments.
 
Vic,

What is the point of you being on this blog? You ruin it on a daily basis with your lame, fact-free arguments and Kais bashing on every single post.

Oh wait, would you rather hear this with every comment you make: Vic, you do offer better insight than Kais...please please, oh Vic, smother us some more with your infinite wisdom and witty comments.

Aimei
 
Honestly this is desperation:

The popularity of Aoun in the Christian Sphere is so great that the only way the Bristol gathering can counter it is by playing with peoples' hearts and emotions. Come on people vote the right person in not who you sympathise with.

This act would only prove even more Aoun's uncontested popularity within the Chritian community. I would dare, the LF, Qornet Shehwan, Kateb, Ahrar, etc.. to nominate their own candidate on a head to head contest with an FPM candidate. It would once again prove to be very dissapointing for the Bristol gathering.

Regards
Charbel
 
The Hizbollah did indeed suffer at the hands of oppressors. To prevent that from happening again, a close alliance with Iran is necessary.
 
It would be wrong to dispute the fact that if May Chidiac is actually nominated then the sympathy factor will play a role. It is important however to ask why is it that she has garnered the sympathy factor? Isn't it because she had been regarded as a major oponent to the camp that is seeking to create instability in the country? That distinction is not bestowed on any person, it needs to be earned. It is also important to keep in mind that her previous role as a major TV journalist forced her to be knowledgable about many facets of the political and social issues facing the country and the region. Of course she is not as eloquent as Gibran and does not carry as much gravitas but I have no doubt that her knoweldge of the political scene matches or exceeds that of most of the clowns in Najjme square.

Let me add one more observation . A few of the previous respondents claim that none of the other parties , supporting May Chidiac, would dare run one of their own candidates because that will ensure their loss of this race. May I suggest that that was to be true then that would be a further reason to support May Chidiac's candidacy since many of us are convinced that the salvation of the country requires fresh ideas, different political thinking and new blood. Enough of the traditional leaders who are at the root of our political problem. May Chidia might be the person to support in thois campaign by those seeking honesty, integrity, familiarity with the pressing issues of the day and the courage to meet adversity.

As for Vic I feel compelled to join the chorus by asking you to stop your act. It has become stale and is no longer amusing lol.
 
My comment is off topic, but this morning i tried accessing the blog from the AUB library and it seems to be blacklisted for some reason. I got an aub page saying that this site is on the black list and can't be accessed. Any idea why?
 
ARE YOU SERIOUS? I didn't even know that AUB had a black list. Can anyone else confirm this? Try it again and let me know, anonymous. or e-mail me: abukais@gmail.com
 
Basically, the Christian voters will decide here.

Most of the Druzes will vote for the pro-FL candidated while most of the Shias will vote for the pro-Aoun candidated.

It is the Christian vote that is unpredictable here. Here lies the real battle.
 
"May Chidiac seems to be a wonderful woman but not much of a politician."

What a stupid (sexist?) argument.

May Chidiac has been following Lebanon's politics for 20 years. She's familiar with all the issues. If being in the parliament is possible given her physical condition, there's no reason why she can't be a very good MP.
 
I fully agree with Vox on this one…and I believe they’ll make the right choice.

Faux sheikh Saad Al-Hariri and his collaborationist cum gangster corner (May Chidiac’s LBC, Future TV, Al-Nahar & Co.) have succeeded in building a “new Lebanon” revolving around Star Academy and a resolutely Saudi-friendly government where even the Prime Minister is a veteran employee of dad’s Riyadh-based construction conzern, Saudi Oger SAL.

In a remarkably short period of time, Lebanon has become an Arabian banana republic where hapless admirers of Haifa Wehbe and hateful disciples of Wahhabism reign supreme…

In many ways, it’s kind of King Fahd’s dream come true: a welcoming Potemkin bordello where complacent belly dancers and Saudi-appointed ministers will always do a generous sheikh’s bidding.

Ah if only pesky kill-joys such as Michel Aoun and Hezbollah could stop their futile rear-guard attacks on the glorious March 14 courtiers, everything would surely be cool and dandy again under the Beirut sun!
;)
 
"The popularity of Aoun in the Christian Sphere is so great that the only way the Bristol gathering can counter it is by playing with peoples' hearts and emotions. Come on people vote the right person in not who you sympathise with."

Aounists are already trying to excuse a potential defeat... Your argument is lame Charbel. You're trying to minimize a defeat that didn't even even occur yet: it seems that you are not so confident after all.

More seriously, you can't really predict the outcome of this election. You have to wait and see.

I was in Lebanon during the elections, and I couldn't but notice Aoun's popularity at the time, mainly because of circumstantial factors. Contrarily to what people believe, I am not an LF. I did vote Aoun at the time, not because I liked Aoun (I never did) but because I was disgusted by many things : 1°the LF being instrumentalized by the FM 2°the fact that nobody wanted to open any 'malaf' but it was to be expected anyway. Above all 3° the fact that the key players in the parliament agreed to keep the 2000 electoral law, confiscating the representation of the Christian community. Whatever the demographical weight of the Christian, they deserve more than 25 MP and 4 ministers.

But Aoun has made many mistakes since then. He has isolated the Christians, didn't join the government even though the government needed all the legitimacy it could get under these difficult circumstances. It's true that Jumblat played dirty games on Aoun Siniora's offer wasn't good enough, but given the constraints and the need for a national government, Aoun should have agreed to join the government for the sake of the country. I wasn't fond of Siniora when he came to power, but the PM has gained my respect since then. Siniora represents the liberal wing of the FM: he's the right man at the right place.

Aoun's biggest error is his continuous support for Lahoud and other pro-Syrian elements. This became unacceptable fter Syria launched a terrorist campaign against Lebanese politicians. He has made outrageous comments and has proven that he has no vision. He's a general without a battle plan.

Now I can't speak for the whole country, but I have plenty of Aounist in my entourage & my family(like everybody in the Christian community). Their disappointment with der General has been growing for months and have reached a point of non-return. Aoun may agree with 80% of HA's program but most of his ex-voters don't. Aoun may not care about the lives of Samir Kassir, Gebran Tueni and May Chidiac, but his voters do.It is safe to say that Aoun's popularity has decreased, but I can't tell if this will be enough to make him lose.

That is why this election is important. It will give us an indication of Aoun's popularity. If he loses, his legitimacy will be shaken, and his pretense that he's the main representative of the Chistian community will become empty. If he loses, HA and Aoun will become less vocal about having anticipated elections.

Wait and see.
 
"ARE YOU SERIOUS? I didn't even know that AUB had a black list. Can anyone else confirm this? Try it again and let me know, anonymous. or e-mail"

I was an AUB student not long ago. The firewell never blocked political site at the time, only pornographic sites. I mean, I used to read MEMRI and Haaretz from AUB.
 
ARE YOU SERIOUS? I didn't even know that AUB had a black list. Can anyone else confirm this? Try it again and let me know, anonymous. or e-mail me: abukais@gmail.com

Yeah. I am, it seems they blocked a couple of other political blogs.. http://windowinlebanon2.blogspot.com is also blocked. i didn't have time to try any other.

I was an AUB student not long ago. The firewell never blocked political site at the time, only pornographic sites. I mean, I used to read MEMRI and Haaretz from AUB.

They usually block pornographic sites, file sharing sites (mininova, thepiratebay, sharereactor(rip)..) and all the urls that have the word "proxy in them". I usually read news from google news and never had any problem with the sites..

An easy way to bypass the proxy is to use the google translation.. it acts like an external proxy.. for example http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en|en&u=http://beirutbeltway.blogspot.com
will get you to the blog.

Anyhow i'll test it more on friday and tell you what happens.
 
wow vic, one post without using the word "pharisaic". congratulations. after all, i got to correct myself: you're not just another jew-hater. you're anti-arab as well. go f*** yourself.
 
Never mind, Saad Hariri has denied the as-Safir report, describing it as a "fabrication".

He was embarrased, and followed his master's - the american embassador - way of denial!
 
Kais,
I trust that you would keep all those who visit your blog informed about the developments regarding the possible existense of filters at AUB that block certain political blogs.
If the efforts by the AUB are ascertained then it becomes the moral obligation and duty for each of us to do whatever is in our power to correct the situation. I intend to contact the AUB adminstration, Alumni association , the Lebanese press and some Lebanese politicians but only once you are certain that censureship is being applied. I don't want to jump the gun.
 
How do you know with this assurance that
she was the victim of Syrian brutality?
Did the investigation lead to this
conclusion?
True that Syria is the ideal culprit
but can we be sure?
 
To VOX!!

It is amuzing to hear from virtually every Aoun critic these days that they ALL voted for Aoun in the elections and now they would not. If this is a tactic, attempting to justify a false belief that Aoun has lost popularity: my friend you're hilucinating. Just about six weeks ago, check out the FPM outcome in the University elections, more specifically those within the Christian heartlands. It would conclude that the future people of Lebanon are even more enthusiastic to join Aoun's party.

This rhetoric is the same what I used to read on these blogs about "wait and see, Aoun will finally realise how little support he has after the elections, he should accept the 5 seats offered to him by Jomblatt and Harriri". And look what happened.

Aoun should have gotten even more Mp's during the last elections especially in Baabd-ALley!! Why do u think that the government disolved the constitutional council after the FPM appealed for an inquiry or 'TO3ON.

Anyhow, General Aoun's popularity is without any doubt growing and becoming stronger within the christian heartland and outside especially after the FPM launch their own TV station so people can see and hear exactly what the Genral is saying without any fabrications and ditortion of facts!!!

long live free, sovereign and independent Lebanon that is 10452KM2
regards Charbel
 
good post
 
During the Lebanese Civil War in September 1983, Aoun's multi-confessional 8th Mechanised Infantry Battalion fought Muslim, Druze and Palestinian forces at the battle of Souq el Gharb. In June 1984, Aoun was chosen to be commander of the Lebanese army. Why would you even support a guy like him..he's not really a leader, more like a follower. We need strong leaders in taking care of people as humanity derives from the soul of one. All men are created equal, the only difference between them is not physically but taqwa. Don't get mislead by promises or false information presented. Use your mind in distinguishing whats real and what is decievable. Your eyes tells lies, but your heart feels the truth. If you want to talk politic with a reasonable arguement, feel free to email me at moostico@yahoo.com
 
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