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Pelosi's 'Mixed Message' to Syria Is More Direct Than The President's
Vice President Dick Cheney has accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of "bad behavior" for visiting Damascus and talking to Syrian President Bashar Assad.Look who's talking -- the man who told the world he knew where the weapons of mass destruction were in Iraq in the run-up to the U.S. invasion. Have you heard any apologies or mea culpas from Cheney even after he was proved wrong? Of course not.
And did you hear anything from Cheney repudiating the visits to Syria by Republican U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia and Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania? Another recent Republican visitor was Rep. Darrel Issa of California. Silence from the veep. That's because the Bush administration needs every vote it can muster on Capitol Hill to support its disastrous foreign policy.
President Bush accused Pelosi of sending "mixed messages" to Syria. Hardly. Syrian officials are well aware of the constant U.S. trashing of their country as a "terrorist state."
Syria just happens to be sheltering thousands of Iraqi refugees who fled their country as a result of the U.S. invasion and the ensuing civil war. The U.S. has taken in only a few thousand fleeing Iraqis.
Speaking of his trip to Syria, Wolf said: "I don't care what the administration says on this. You gotta do what you think is in the best interest of your country."
On his return from Syria, Pitts said: "Dialogue is not a sign of weakness ... . It's a sign of strength."
Even Issa -- a strong Bush supporter who met with Assad -- was critical of the administration's pressure against any contacts with Syria.
"President Bush is the head of state, but he hasn't encouraged dialogue," Issa said. He also noted that the U.S. and Syria have functioning diplomatic relations.
Pelosi told reporters she thought her congressional team did some good by showing Assad there is solidarity in the U.S. government toward the Middle East.
Pelosi also was bashed for wearing a head scarf in Damascus in a bow to Muslim custom. Some critics will pick on the silliest things to complain about.
I wonder what those same critics would say if she wore a veil when meeting the pope at the Vatican?
It's noteworthy that the administration didn't gripe when Pelosi went to Jerusalem and addressed Israeli lawmakers in the Knesset and met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
More important than those small diplomatic openings and attempts to prompt a new dialogue is the further alienation of the U.S. in the Middle East.
Bush should know by now that the U.S. is despised in many Arab countries, including those that were friendly in the past. Iraq is just one of the flash points.
U.S. supplies of cluster bombs to Israel is another issue because those weapons were used in south Lebanon, endangering Lebanese families.
The 40-year occupation and restrictions on the Palestinians on the West Bank is a daily source of tension. But nothing is heard from Bush on the oppression of the Palestinians.
More amazing are the harsh words uttered March 29 by Saudi King Abdullah, who attacked the U.S. military presence in Iraq as an "illegitimate foreign occupation."
The king made the remarks at the opening session of an Arab summit hosted by Abdullah.
"In beloved Iraq, blood is flowing between brothers, in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and abhorrent sectarianism threatens a civil war," said the Saudi monarch, who also denounced Bush's pro-Israeli policy as "one-sided."
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have had close ties since World War II. But it is beginning to falter because leaders of the kingdom fear that a close alignment with the U.S. will hinder Saudi relations in the region.
Bush should be grateful to Pelosi and the other lawmakers who are willing to crack the ice. After all, Bush can hardly brag that his head-in-the-sand policy has been a success.
13 Comments so far
Show AllI somewhat agree with this article, that this is a first step.. But I still have reservations regarding her vist.. I Mainly think she went to score some Points for The democracts and also to Please the Zionists... Time will tell if this vist will help relations between the US and Iraq.. If anyone should have gone, I would have suggested Jimmy Carter.. Myrna
Obviously, diplomatic discussion with adversaries and potential adversaries is preferable to war ... overt war or covert war.
However, war profiteers and others associated with the Bush-Cheney administration seem to prefer war.
The approaches of the Bush-Cheney chicken hawks and neocons can result in serious changes for American society ... including a new military draft:
"Military Draft Needed for War With Iran and Syria?"
PopulistAmerica.com
September 28, 2006
http://www.populistamerica.com/military_draft_needed_for_war_with_iran_and_syria
George Bush refused Jimmy Carter permission to visit Syria. I'm not sure if Carter could have made the trip in spite of the Presidents edict. Perhaps Carter was acknowledging Presidential position, but, I, too, think that Jimmy Carter would be a powerful diplomat for us in the Middle East.
This business of the President calling all the shots and everyone else should accept it is stupid, I'm sorry. The "man" obviously is totally out of his depth and is failing miserably in his duties to guide the nation, so it is time for the grownups to take over. Anyone, such as Ms. Pelosi, who has the opportunity to rectify Bush's follies and does not take it is a traitor to our country and undeserving of any respect whatsoever.
I also would love to see Carter empowered to seek peace in the Middle East. However, it is a non-starter since he wrote Palestine: Peace not Apartheid. In other words, since he told the truth.
I recently read President Jimmy Carter latest book. I agree completely with his conclusions. Americans better wake up before it is too late to stop a war which could lead to WWIII. President Carter approved of Speaker Pelosi's visit and so do I.
Helen, why do so many refer to Shrub as "The President"?
I too approve of Pelosi's first attempts at dialog in the Middle East. I don't even care what her motivation was. At least she opened the door. I can't, however, forgive her for taking impeachment "off the table". This madman HAS to have his hands removed from the levers of power in the U.S. And that needed to happen YESTERDAY! This is not a partisan issue anymore. For the sake of America and the world, tell Pelosi and ALL of your Congressional representatives......
IMPEACH NOW!!!
Helen, are you sure the United States has taken in thousands of Iraqi refugees? That's far more than I have heard reported elsewhere.
Helen you are amazing. I have enjoyed listening to you in interviews and reading your articles. Your guest spot with Stephen Colbert was awesome !!
Nancy Pelosi did the right thing in visiting Syria,along with Israel, etc. The Bush/Cheney reaction was just sooo lame and predictable!! The "writing is on the wall" for the poor quality of their performances these past 6 years. Failing grade big time !!!
Great article.
Why is this administration so in love with disaster?
Imagine, if instead, the recipient of the "Boy Scout of America" award run the country from 2000 to the present. A good kid would've led better.
Many more months left until the end of a an error (1/01/09).
Brace yourselves.
Panamahead, let me explain why this administration is in love with disaster. It it quite simple, really. You might have heard of the Military Industrial Complex. Simply put, War pays bigtime for the manufacturer's of weapons, planes and all the other "neccessities" of war!
I am not a big fan of Nancy Pelosi, but she and other members of Congress have every right to visit other nations. There have been fact finding visits since our Nation's founding. It's only since baby Bush has taken power as though he were a monarch that there has been any questioning of such visits, and only by Administration blind followers.
No one seems to remember that the much vaunted "Iraq Study Group" came back with recommendations that we negotiate with Iran, Syria and other nations around Iraq in order to help facilitate a withdrawal from Iraq.
Bush immediately discounted the advice, even though it came from known experts on the Middle East, including former REPUBLICAN Secretary of State and former Bush2 envoy to the Middle East, James Baker.
A short time later, Fred Kagan, one of the founding members of PNAC and neo-con member of the fascist American Enterprise Institute published a second report entitled "A Plan for Victory" claiming it to be the REAL Iraq Study Group report in order to lend to the confusion.
It is my belief that the only GOOD way we will ever be able to extricate ourselves from Iraq is to persuade the nations surrounding Iraq that it is in their best interests to send in peace-keeping troops so we can withdraw. It is more in THEIR best interests to prevent strife in Iraq than it is in our best interests... because conflict can... and probably will eventually spill over into their countries.
This could eventually result in a divided Iraq, but Iraq didn't exist 100 years ago anyway!