"the excuse to remain is that civil war may break out when they leave" - the precise excuse which the Syrians have given for their presence in Lebanon, which Bush has been so dismissive about.

............
"Her story appears to be more and more bogus." Why, she probably shot herself and Nicola, as a way of making the Americans look bad...

"Bogus" in this case presumably meaning "not consistent with the version given by the soldiers who actually did the shooting".

Here is the (equally "bogus") version by the Italian foreign minister:

"In Rome, Fini said the Italian reconstruction 'doesn't fully coincide with what has been communicated by U.S. authorities,' including on whether the car was speeding and if the occupants had been warned.

According to Fini the car was 'traveling at a speed that couldn't have been more than 25 miles per hour.' A light, he said, was flashed at the car after a curve and that gunfire started immediately afterward. It lasted 15 to 20 seconds, he said.