Strange timing for a raid into Syria

With one week to go, I am probably going to give myself a break and short of something extraordinary happening avoid writing anything else about the U.S. elections until we know who is going to be the next president. By now anything I can write all of you would have probably read in the printed media or seen on TV. In the meantime I hope the Bush administration is not trying to go out with a bang. This past Sunday U.S. Forces conducted a raid into Syria in which seven civilians were killed. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem called the operation a “criminal and terrorist aggression” . He said Bush administration officials were following “the policy of cowboys” and responding to the administration comments that the Syrians were not controlling their borders and allowing terrorists to enter Iraq, the minister noted that the United States has been unable to seal its own border with Mexico.
The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed “serious concerns” about the raid and the loss of Syrian lives. Syria has lately embarked on policies that France and other Western governments have viewed favorably, including indirect peace talks with Israel. Russia also condemned the U.S. for aggravating tensions in the region. It was only last month that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates when asked in the Senate about cross-border operation said, “We will do what is necessary to protect our troops.”
Once the facts were made public, reactions began to appear in the U.S. such as the comments from Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) who denouncing the attack and questioned its timing said, “We are on the eve of national elections and we must be mindful of the Administration’s past manipulation of security issues in order to influence public opinion.” No need to go on.