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| Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy |
| 2007-04-05 |
| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad. After a meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Ms. Pelosi announced that she had delivered a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. What's more, she added, Mr. Assad was ready to "resume the peace process" as well. Having announced this seeming diplomatic breakthrough, Ms. Pelosi suggested that her Kissingerian shuttle diplomacy was just getting started. "We expressed our interest in using our good offices in promoting peace between Israel and Syria," she said. Only one problem: The Israeli prime minister entrusted Ms. Pelosi with no such message. "What was communicated to the U.S. House Speaker does not contain any change in the policies of Israel," said a statement quickly issued by the prime minister's office. In fact, Mr. Olmert told Ms. Pelosi that "a number of Senate and House members who recently visited Damascus received the impression that despite the declarations of Bashar Assad, there is no change in the position of his country regarding a possible peace process with Israel." In other words, Ms. Pelosi not only misrepresented Israel's position but was virtually alone in failing to discern that Mr. Assad's words were mere propaganda. Ms. Pelosi was criticized by President Bush for visiting Damascus at a time when the administration -- rightly or wrongly -- has frozen high-level contacts with Syria. Mr. Bush said that thanks to the speaker's freelancing Mr. Assad was getting mixed messages from the United States. Ms. Pelosi responded by pointing out that Republican congressmen had visited Syria without drawing presidential censure. That's true enough -- but those other congressmen didn't try to introduce a new U.S. diplomatic initiative in the Middle East. "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Ms. Pelosi grandly declared. Never mind that that statement is ludicrous: As any diplomat with knowledge of the region could have told Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Assad is a corrupt thug whose overriding priority at the moment is not peace with Israel but heading off U.N. charges that he orchestrated the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The really striking development here is the attempt by a Democratic congressional leader to substitute her own foreign policy for that of a sitting Republican president. Two weeks ago Ms. Pelosi rammed legislation through the House of Representatives that would strip Mr. Bush of his authority as commander in chief to manage troop movements in Iraq. Now she is attempting to introduce a new Middle East policy that directly conflicts with that of the president. We have found much to criticize in Mr. Bush's military strategy and regional diplomacy. But Ms. Pelosi's attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #15 Still, she looks stunning in that leafed scarf. As a mother and grandmother, but, even more, she is brain dead. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2007-04-05 18:19 |
| #14 What? Nancy's actions, or making fun of them, and her, here? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-04-05 16:57 |
| #13 I am actually sickend by this... seems unamerican to me! Blackvenom-2001 |
| Posted by: Blackvenom-2001 2007-04-05 16:27 |
| #12 Don't you guys get it yet? We traded a "powerful Great Satan leader" in return for a release of the British soldiers. They never asked which one. |
| Posted by: Karl Roves secret leaker 2007-04-05 15:37 |
| #11 Can we agree to talks with Syria if they keep Nancy? |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-04-05 15:21 |
| #10 Headline too long. Here is corrected version: "Nancy Pelosi's foolish " |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-04-05 14:59 |
| #9 I wonder what color the sky is in Nancy World? Probably rainbow colored... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-04-05 13:58 |
| #8 Cant we revoke her citizenship for collusion with the enemy then she couldnt come back. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2007-04-05 13:48 |
| #7 I don't know why everyone is up in arms about this. Pelosi in Syria means Pelosi not in USA. Sounds good to me. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2007-04-05 13:04 |
| #6 Okay, here's the weird thing. WTF is going on with Syria? Why is it in the center of the news? The 3 Repub idiots, that Pelosi idiot, and the news that Israel wants a rematch? If Sean Penn shows up in Syria soon, does that mean we're going to invade or something? |
| Posted by: Anon4021 2007-04-05 12:21 |
| #5 We really need to consider breaking the land connection to SF and towing it out to sea to be its own republic of the loons. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-04-05 11:25 |
| #4 Instapundit had a good quip on this editorial: "If Bush and Cheney were really evil, they'd both resign and stick the Democrats with a Pelosi Presidency for the next two years. The Democratic Party would never recover. Alas, neither would the country." Indeed. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2007-04-05 09:27 |
| #3 This editorial is in (gasp!)... The Washington Post. Poor Nancy! She'll be in tears! If her staff lets her see it. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-04-05 06:28 |
| #2 Shuttle surrender sessions. She needed a larger jet, remember, for all accompanying monkies. |
| Posted by: Duh! 2007-04-05 04:39 |
| #1 After originating a self-passivating tantalum pentoxide laser-trimmed microwave resistor network design that enabled my employer (without a speck of personal credit), to obtain the Hamilton Standard military contract such that their circuits flew on successive space shuttle missions, imagine my horror at having Challenger explode on my birthday. I'll ask that you not consider how many times I've had to put up with people trying to suggest that my design was responsible, Instead, I hope that, at least some of you can possibly understand why I want Challenger and Pelosi's shuttle mission to share something in common. My personal disgust knows no bounds. Delete or ban as needed. Thank you. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-05 04:02 |