Nancy Pelosi has decided to visit Syria, her second trip to the Middle East which means she wants to put her stamp on foreign policy. Anybody see THAT in the Constitution?This topic came up in Friday's briefing with the State Department. Here is a taste:
QUESTION: Nancy Pelosi is visiting Syria. The White House criticized her decision to go. I was wondering what you think of this. And it's my understanding that the Bush Administration tried to dissuade her from visiting Syria at this time, didn't think it would be appropriate.It doesn't sound like the career diplomats at the State Department are too happy with the trip either...
MR. MCCORMACK: Right.
QUESTION: Can you speak to that?
MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we've -- you know, our message both to Republicans and Democrats alike who either have visited Syria in this recent period or intend to, as Speaker Pelosi does, has been consistent, it's been the same. In our view, it's not the right time to have those sort of high-profile visitors to Syria mostly for the simple fact that the Syrians, despite a number of different pleas and approaches from the United States as well as other countries, have refused to change their behavior vis-à-vis support for Palestinian rejectionist groups, for their support for -- their unhelpful stance with respect to Lebanon. And we don't think it would be appropriate for high-level visitors, even those from the Congress, to pay a visit to Syria right now.
A typical Syrian MO on this is to use these visits to tell the rest of the world and say, "Look, there's nothing wrong. We're having all these visitors come to Syria, coming to Damascus, there's no problem with our behavior," and they point to the visits as proof that there is no problem with their behavior and that they are not, in fact, isolated. So that's the simple reason why we have encouraged others as well as Speaker Pelosi not to travel.
That said, congressmen and representatives are going to make their own decisions about where they travel. And in this case, they made the decision to go forward. We are going to provide all the support that might normally be expected to be provided to a member of Congress traveling to a foreign country. We provided a briefing for Speaker Pelosi's staff and those traveling with her. So that's about -- that's really where we stand right now.
QUESTION: Will anyone from State be accompanying Speaker Pelosi?
MR. MCCORMACK: No.
BizzyBlog's Tom Blumer emails this:
I think it means the surge is working, and that they're going to tell the Syrians to "step it up, for cryin' out loud; you can't let US forces win."Well, I'm not sure that Pelosi is going to encourage the enemy, but her trip will be interpreted by our enemies as something being in their favor. Democrats still seem to view the Global War on Terror as a limited conflict with al Qaeda...it is bigger than that. It always has been. 9/11 was the trigger event that brought western civilization in to the conflict, but the Islamofascists have been fighting this war long before bin Laden was anybody.
They would have made an additional stop for the same purpose in Tehran if it weren't for the British hostage situation. That's okay; Assad will pass it on.
Is Syria an Islamofascist country? I'd have to say, "Yes." Does that make Syria an enemy of this country? I think so... The first rule of international relations is that countries will do what is in their nation's best interest first and foremost at the time. When you are honest with yourself about what Syria's motives and goals are, you will see that they line up perfectly with Iran and the rest of the Islamofascists. You know, the guy who wat Israel wiped off the map while shouting "Death to America!" It's time we start taking those people seriously...they mean what they say and it is time we give them their due attention.
That is who Nancy Pelosi plans to visit...
3:00PM UPDATE: New SOB Alliance Member Liberally Conservative points out that Ohio Republican Congressman Hobson went along on Nancy trip...
