Syria's Assad Meets With ... Dennis Kucinich?

An American politician is leading the way on the Syrian crisis and it’s not a former president or even John Kerry, but rather ... Dennis Kucinich. This morning, the Atlantic spotted this tweet from a CNN reporter in Damascus: “Ran into Dennis Kucinich in another hotel. Told me he’s on a fact-finding mission. Met w Assad for 3 hrs yest. Wouldn’t elaborate.” Syria’s state-run television soon reported the visit, saying that Kucinich and British Conservative Party member Brooks Newmark had met with Assad and “expressed keenness on Syria’s security and stability.”

Kucinich’s office soon issued a press release confirming that he was “on a fact-finding mission to Syria and Lebanon,” because his constituents had asked him to “investigate conditions on the ground” and seek a peaceful resolution. Kucinich has something of a history with Syria. He visited there in 2007, and appeared on state-run TV to praise Assad and condemn the Iraq war. In May, he echoed the regime’s stance that some protesters are out to “push a violent agenda.” (More Dennis Kucinich stories.)