Perhaps even more worrying to Mr. Assad, his military has come to rely more heavily on equipment designed for a major battle with a foreign enemy, namely Israel, rather than a protracted civil conflict with his own people.
They trust this man to lead them into the biggest battle yet to come, the 2015 election.
Some used the old white supremacist scare tactic of waving Confederate battle flags in front of the home of a black family – in this case, the White House.
With this legislation pending, as well as a presidential campaign and an ongoing battle to reform the NSA, it doesn't seem likely that Paul is ready to follow in Gravel's footsteps.
"The irony is," says Rachel, "that the battle wasn't at all glorious: it was a failure.
Related: Le Pen family feud is a battle for the soul of the Front National – and France In an interview with the centre-right Le Figaro newspaper on Monday, Le Pen, who had threatened to leave the political ring "only at the end of the bout, whether victor or vanquished", seemed almost conciliatory as he said he would withdraw his candidature to avoid further damage to the party.
"For as long as God gives me life, I will remain in my place at the battle stations," he wrote.
The battle lines are being drawn – in and outside Greece.
Still, the latest judicial document in the ongoing battle, a 337-page justification of the most recent convictions made public on Tuesday, marks a new low.
Whatever the outcome, the battle will surely be very divisive in the country and may well propel Scotland out of the UK.
Labour is facing a desperate battle to stop a Scottish National party landslide after a poll showed the SNP had a clear but weaker lead across Labour constituencies in Scotland.
