Friday, November 23, 2007

"The last time Lebanon was without a president was in 1988, toward the end of the civil war. Then the candidate was Mikhail Daher, and U.S. efforts to get him elected were led by Assistant Secretary of State Richard W. Murphy. A line attributed to him remains famous here: "It's Mikhail Daher or chaos." In the end, it wasn't Daher, and it was chaos for two more years, as rival governments claimed legitimacy amid some of the war's bloodiest episodes. (Murphy has never claimed the quote. "Too pithy for me," he said.)" But I once asked Murphy if he had actually said those words and he said yes.
PS It is such a small world. Murphy later worked as a "consultant" for Rafiq Hariri, and his wife worked for Hariri Foundation. (thanks Mick)