Michel Aoun...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah...
, an 81-year-old veteran Christian leader, will likely be chosen by Parliament on Monday as part of a deal that's expected to give not just a boost for Hezbollah but also to the Shiite group's ally, Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Supressor of the Damascenes...
The strong-willed Maronite Catholic general notoriously led a "war of liberation" against the Syrian army in Leb in 1989-90, but reconciled with the Syrian leadership in 2005 after Syria pulled out of Leb. He has been a strong supporter of Hezbollah's involvement on the side of Assad in the neighboring country's civil war, now in its sixth year.
Analysts believe Aoun's pick will also affect regional politics beyond Leb and Syria and have implications for the rivalry between the Sunni power Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and the mostly Shiite Iran.
"Aoun's election is a clear victory for the pro-Iranian axis in the Levant and another climb down for Saudi Arabia," wrote Paul Salem, vice president for policy and research at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.