Embattled Syrian President woos wife with Blake Shelton tune

Courtesy of blakeshelton.com

Blake Shelton

​It is perhaps important for fans of country music to note that they may not be fans of other fans of country music. Images of rebel flags and down-home country conservatism may come immediately to mind, but now add this dude to that list of fans Today we now know that the man behind the past year's bloody assaults on Syrian government protesters, President Bashar al-Assad, is a Blake Shelton fan.

Now, we love country singer Blake Shelton. Scores of American viewers of the television series "The Voice" love Blake Shelton, as does his very cool wife Miranda Lambert. And a series of leaked e-mails from President Assad reveal, along with a love for Harry Potter, silly YouTube videos, and expensive gifts, that he and his wife are Blake Shelton fans.

From The Guardian:

It was 5 February 2012, and the previous day the president's artillery had pounded the restive city as never before, killing several hundred civilians and blowing up a makeshift hospital, according to opposition activists. In the capital, government forces reportedly took the lives of about a dozen mourners at a funeral. The UN security council was drawing up plans to act against the dictatorship.

But Assad's email, using the pseudonym Sam, reflected none of the bloody turmoil or diplomatic jeopardy facing his country. In a bizarre message apparently from the Syrian leader, he sent his wife the lyrics of a country and western song by the US singer Blake Shelton, and the audio file downloaded from iTunes.

Laden with self-pity, the communication appeared to exemplify the cocooned life of denial that Assad, his family and inner circle were leading while the country erupted around them. The first verse reads: "I've been a walking heartache / I've made a mess of me / The person that I've been lately / Ain't who I wanna be."

Aww. Brutal dictators are people with feelings too, right?

Riiiiight.