Tall, dignified Shukri el-Kuwatly had been called the George Washington of his country, but as Syria's first elected President, ailing, aging (58) El Kuwatly acted more like a traditional, feckless Arab politician. He failed to stamp out corruption, stood indolently by while food prices soared. When he sent his army out to fight the Jews, the army was ignominiously beaten. For months Damascus bazaars had buzzed with rumors that the army would revolt. One night last week it did.
Troops in armored cars occupied railways, telephone exchanges and border stations. They arrested El Kuwatly in Damascus' military hospital, routed Premier...
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