MASSIVE ANTI-SYRIA PROTESTS in Lebanon. Good.

UPDATE: Bush is on the offensive:

President Bush and French President Jacques Chirac said Monday they had patched up their differences over Iraq as Bush appealed for European unity in helping to spread democracy across the Middle East.

At the same time, Bush prodded Russia to reverse a crackdown on political dissent, suggesting Moscow’s efforts to join the World Trade Organization could hinge on it. He said he would press the point when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the week.

“I intend to remind him that if his interests lie West, that we share values and that those values are important,” Bush said. “They’re not only important for people who that live within Russia, they’re important to have good relations with the West.”

He also demanded that Iran end its nuclear ambitions and told Syria to get out of Lebanon.

They’d be well-advised to comply, I think.

UPDATE: More on Bush’s speech here, and the transcript is here.

MORE: Sort-of related thoughts on China and North Korea, here.

MORE STILL: “Good cowboy.” Heh.