Noriega is 76 years old and his lawyers say he is in poor health.
VOA: standard.2010.07.07
Some groups have suggested he becomes the leader of the so-called Syrian National Initiative (SNI), but he denies such aspirations himself, saying heisin too poorhealth to play a major political role.
Obama consistently frames the issue as this is what heis for, while his political opponents are in favor of letting the poor starve, or those without health insurance die for lack of medical care.