"And given the amount of Assadist money that’s been flowing around the West... "

Amazing. Constant bombing...control of it's hydrocarbons and grain lands...endless sanctions and an army that falls apart through apparently not being paid because there's nothing to pay them.
Seriously: what money was he using to buy western public opinion? Does anyone believe that even the few websites or Twitter contributors that supported Assad were ever being paid? Because I dont and on a relative scale they pale into utter insignificance against western corporate media.

The problem with the likes of Mason is that their whole game has to hypothesise a plethora of these imaginary baddies so that his "own side" can then pressure for government resources and cash for even more of that clearly "necessary" opposition: its a "Bogeyman" based scam to rook willing western funders and fill ever more websites with self-confirming dross.