Will Bashar al-Assad go down before the election?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm leaning toward option 2. Not a huge deal, but Obama can make an ad pointing out how many bad guys were tossed and/or killed during his term. At the very least it'll be tough to run the "weak on national security" deal, though that's mostly because of bin Laden.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Assad isn't up for reelection until 2015, and I don't think he can last that long.

[WhyteRain]

Seven "yeses" and three "noes".  I'm always in the minority in these polls.  Is there a place where any of these get tracked?

[SPC]

I doubt he is removed before NATO finds a dubious casus belli, which I doubt would come before the election unless Obama starts trailing significantly.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Probably little effect. If the voters don't care about Bin Laden, why would they care about Assad?

[The Mikado]

Doubtful Assad makes it another six weeks, but I doubt it would affect the US election one way or the other.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Probably neutral: the positive effects of the vindication of the president's policies and the favorable changes in the region resulting from Assad's fall will be tempered somewhat by the ridiculous OMGZ TEH MUSLIM BROERHOOD IS TAKING OVER THE MIDDLE EAST AND SURROUNDING ISRAEL!!!111 THE ARAB SPRING IS BEING DIRECTED OUT OF TEHRAN!!!!! WE NEED TO BOMB IRAN NOW!!!!!! stuff that seems to be going on the Right, though a lot of that will ring hollow because Assad is an ally of Iran and an avowed enemy of Israel. Then again, Gaddafi was also anti-Israel, and that didn't stop righties from making similar claims when he fell. All in all, I doubt it will have much effect.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I could see him lasting longer than people think. He's got support in other Syrian cities that could be able to better shelter him. Plus, outside nations will be hesitant to step in now that he's threatened to use those chemical weapons on anyone who intervenes.