A Case of Bad Timing

In the recent history of bad timing, perhaps the most memorable is Al Gore giving a speech on global warming in NYC on one of coldest days that city had seen in a decade. A close second would be this Steve Chapman piece from March 10:

Half a million demonstrators turned out in Beirut on Tuesday, waving flags and chanting slogans in a show of popular sentiment. But no, this was not the latest call by the Lebanese opposition for Syria to leave--this was a call for Syria to stay. And the rally was roughly seven times bigger than the latest anti-Syria protest.Maybe bringing democracy to the Arab world is going to be more complicated than we thought.Supporters of the war in Iraq have been crowing about the budding transformation of the Middle East, with democracy springing up everywhere thanks to President Bush's crusade in Iraq. Bush joined in the chorus this week, claiming that "a critical mass of events is taking that region in a hopeful new direction."

You should have checked the calendar Stevie boy, because somewhere between 800,000 and 1.5-million Lebanese who support democracy took to the streets of Beirut today:

BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of opposition demonstrators chanted "Freedom, sovereignty, independence" and unfurled a huge Lebanese flag in Beirut on Monday, the biggest protest yet in the opposition's duel of street rallies with supporters of the Damascus-backed government.

Crowds of men, women and children flooded Martyrs Square, spilling over into nearby streets, while more from across the country packed the roads into Beirut — responding to an opposition call to demonstrate for the removal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. (Related: Syrian intel office evacuated)

And they didn't even have to truck them in from out of the country. Pictures here and here. You can read the most in depth coverage here.