I wasn't in the US for the Syrian Civil War. Why was there so much hate and vitriol for President Assad? It's like every American politician wanted him gone, but by regional standards he's pretty innocuous (I think he was like an eye doctor before he more or less inherited his presidency).
His friendly relationship with Russia certainly plays a role
That makes sense. Outside of the West he seemed like a weak throne-warmer, but to read some of their old tweets, here he's a cross between a hitlerian psychopath and a villainous cartoon mastermind.