Interesting and plausible. If this is what's going on, what kind of odds do you give we accidentally get him killed while pretending we don't like him so he'll become more powerful?
Or, conversely, if you're right, and if he does land in power, I'd give odds of 100 - 1 that he does the quickest Noriega/Sadaam biting of the hand that fed him yet on record.
Hybrid Mode
