As a kid, i remember watching the show MASH. For some strange reason, one of the lines that stuck with me over the year was one by Radar, who announced that a party was because "Syngman Rhee 's been elected dictator again."

That line bubbled to the surface this morning as i read about the upcoming Syrian election, which will almost certainly award another seven-year term to Bashir Assad.

But as he prepares for a so-called national referendum in which he is certain to be overwhelmingly re-elected for a second seven-year term, Mr. Assad seems very much in control, with his rivals isolated, his critics increasingly in prison or fearing retribution, and international pressure eased. He has consolidated power around his immediate family and rewarded loyalists. And he has continued to reap the benefits of Washington’s troubles in the region. In Lebanon, the anti-Syrian March 14 movement, which helped force Syria out, has seen its political fortunes plummet, mired in unrest.

“Syria has a great deal of confidence now,” said Abdel Fattah al-Awad, editor in chief of the government-run newspaper Al Thawra. “The country is convinced that the major pressures that once faced us have disappeared. We want to offer security — that’s what we offer. The Americans, they offer Iraq, which is chaos.”

Mr. Assad came to power on a wave of optimism, promising to bring change and to rule differently from his iron-fisted father, Hafez. But as he prepares for another term, Mr. Assad has increasingly begun to emulate his father.

Political campaigners openly called for change several years ago; today many have landed in prison in a government crackdown on dissent. Others shrink from public life.

Few Syrians would even speak on the record for this article, fearing government reprisal.

The article goes on to note his support for terrorist organizations in th region.

Remember -- this is one of the folks the Democrats want to negotiate with to ensure security in Iraq, despite the fact that he is a supporter of the very terrorists that American troops are fighting. I guess that human rights and free, fair elections -- and defeating terrorism -- are not particularly a value to that party after all.

UPDATE 5/28/2007: Assad has been reelected as dictator. But then again, when a leader doesn't permit an opponent on the ballot, what do you expect?