Watch that Space

We interrupt our somewhat deserved obsession/disdain with the American election to announce problems that may be best required as "is this good news or 'oh shit'?":

Turkey has signalled that Farouq al-Sharaa, Bashar al-Assad's veteran vice-president, could replace the Syrian leader at the head of a transitional administration, amid more firing across the border between the two countries. "Farouq al-Sharaa is a man of reason and conscience and he has not taken part in the massacres in Syria," Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davoutoglu, said in a weekend TV interview.

I suppose, that cannot be good for the Assad government, but about this Sharaa fellow?

Davoutoglu was on shakier ground suggesting that the anti-Assad opposition was "inclined to accept Sharaa" as a future leader – many would see him as too closely associated with the regime.

Syria has now managed to get Turkey actively involved in its civil war...the question is whether that's a good thing or not? We'd know what Republican troglodyte Louie Gohmert would think, so at least we can take comfort that he's always both wrong and absurd.

[cross-posted at Firedoglake]