Cheney's & WINEP's Hannah's: "US officials frantically looking to divert the regime-change contagion away from 'friends' & in the direction of US adversaries

"... The fact that they chose to do so at precisely the moment that the pro-Western Hariri was being hosted in the Oval Office by President Obama only underscored the extent to which the maneuver was not simply an assault on Lebanon's democracy and independence, but a calculated effort to undermine U.S. interests and power in the Levant. For many, it looked to be the final nail in the coffin of Lebanon's Cedar Revolution ...
But not so fast..... Hariri recently doubled down when he announced that the disarmament of Hezbollah would be resurrected as the centerpiece of March 14th's political program to save Lebanon's democracy, sovereignty, and independence. True to his word, March 14th yesterday released "Independence 2011," a new political manifesto... Toward that end, the coalition hopes to rally hundreds of thousands this Sunday to mark the revolution's sixth anniversary and re-energize the movement that has already once succeeded in liberating Lebanon from foreign domination. 

The re-emergence of a strong and determined Lebanese ally that enjoys mass support and is again willing to take on the Iranian-led axis presents an important opportunity for U.S. interests that should not be missed..... The possible revival of "people power" in Lebanon, and the potential potency of its demands need to be understood (and acted upon) by U.S. officials as being very much of a piece with the broader tidal wave of freedom now crashing down across the Middle East.... Ever since the outbreak of the Jasmine revolutions, U.S. officials have been frantically looking for a way to divert the regime-change contagion away from U.S. friends and in the direction of U.S. adversaries, first and foremost the mullahs in Tehran. The scorecard so far looks somewhat bleak. Whatever other blessings they eventually confer, it's a fact that the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia brought down longstanding U.S. allies. The rebellion against Qaddafi in Libya, while targeting a tyrant with rivers of American blood on his hands, looks in serious jeopardy of being brutally quashed. So the prospect that hundreds of thousands of young Lebanese may now once again be prepared to rush into the breach and throw Hezbollah, and its paymasters in Iran, on the defensive should be welcome news for the United States.

The Obama administration needs to be prepared to seize this opportunity. Most importantly, U.S. leadership is the sine qua non for resurrecting the powerful international coalition that originally backed March 14th and provided the Cedar Revolution with the sustained diplomatic, financial, and moral support that ensured its initial successes. Due to neglect and mismanagement, that coalition tragically began to unravel late in the Bush administration, and the deterioration rapidly accelerated under Obama. Now it needs to be rebuilt. France, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are the keys. The U.N. secretary-general can play an important role as well ....."