Germany won't talk to Assad, but Comrade Peretz wants to talk

German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier canceled a trip to Damascus today over a speech given by the chinless ophthalmologist, Bashar Assad in which he hailed Hezbollah's "achievements" in the conflict, and warned Israeli leaders to give up on their "follies and arrogance" and work for peace. In the speech, Assad also said that the United States' plan for a "new Middle East" has collapsed