But the unfortunate thing here is that Pelosi as well as the rest of the left think this trip was a stunning success because it tweaked Bush and they don't think of any of the other consequences. This is very typical of the democrats and the left in everything they do. Look at how it will affect domestic politics and ignore any of the other consequences.

Bashar al-Assad manipulated Speaker Pelosi and made her look completely ridiculous.

Which is to say, made the United States look completely ridiculous.

Quite honestly, something needs to be done about her. This soft, sly verion of a coup should not go unnoticed.

"The most powerful woman in the world."

Can you imagine the cat fight that will ensue if Hillary is elected president?

Pelosi already thinks she's more powerful than President Bush.

Her lust for power will be very damaging to this country.

I would think despite the Speakers inflated ego that has led her to proclaim she's the "The Most Powerful Women in the World", or some such tripe, she has abdicated that "crown" herself.

Considering she can't match the century (plus) old traditions of the Pony Express of delivering a message as it was written her new title should be Accidental Diplomat.

That aside, next time she claims she made this trip because of a recommendation by the Iraq survey group at least one of the lilly-livered press corp should ask her to quote the portion of ISG report that specifically says the Speaker of the House should be the one opening a "dialog" with Syria.

Fat chance I know, but it sure would be funny watching her squirm like the worm she is trying to spin an answer.

With an attorney general that has only done one thing right (firing worthless attorneys) since he's been in office, there is little hope that United States Law will be applied to Peeeeloshi. She will simply rejoin the other clowns and traitors in congress with a hero welcome.

And BTW, the over under bet is 10 comments on when one of the resident conspiracy theorists here claim this is a plot hatched by Bush and Olmert to make Pelosi look like a fool.

Like she needs the help.

The fatuous harpy Pelosi,
Flew hatefully off to Damosci.
It raises the cry,
Exactly just why,
Would Assad aid this mafiosi?

H/T ip727
========

What was the purpose of the trip taken to Syria by representatives Wolf (R-Va), Aderholt (R-AL) and Pitts (R-PA)?

Why were they not excoriated by the White House?
Why no reply by White House spokesperson Dana Perino about this trip?

Why no mention of it here? Sophistry?

Hello?
Anyone?

Hello?

MyPetGloat,

You need to give someone the chance to answer before you post your little "Hello? Anyone?" routine.

My answer is simply to quote a portion of the article that opened this thread:

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.

Hello?
Anyone?

Hello?

MyPetGloat, perhaps you miseed this in the OpEd: "That's true enough -- but those other congressmen didn't try to introduce a new U.S. diplomatic initiative in the Middle East." That distinction seems to be more than just a small nuance. When the WaPo has to hold their nose and side with Bush, you know it's bad!

Your description of Pelosi and the leftist
democrats was entirely too kind.
I think there should be a burrowing session to see
what laws can be applied to her for taking on the
duties of a sitting president.
It all looks very much like an attempted coup to
over throw the current government of President Bush.
Either that, are she is completely ignorant of her
duties as Speaker of the House.
There will be more governmental anarchy if this not stopped now.

RCP has a nice link to an editorial by Michael Young in the Daily Star nicely laying out what a fool for Assad Nancy played with respect to Lebanon. He calls her a diplomatic dilettante.
=====================

I'm thinking that Mantis, John Irving, Synova, Jay Tea, Lee, Barney and I, will head out to Iran and completely restructure our diplomatic relationship with them. (If you're expecting to see pictures of Synova wearing a headscarf, don't hold your breath.)

VDH thinks this shows the mullahcracy under stress. I think there is something wack with the relationship between Ahmadinejad and the mullahs. I thought they'd heaved him, but now I'm not so sure. I will follow Teheran's future progress with great interest.
============================

Gizmo, it's also a wonderful opportunity for the WaPo to bitch slap the other bitch's object of envy. So maybe it wasn't such a bitch for 'em. Bitchin, huh?
=======================================

Good news, it went well. Here's a picture of our delegation.

What is this? Thursday Dog Slapping?

Being made a tool by Assad was acceptable in order to show up the President.

That was the whole point.

The only point.

Like I said before, payback for this is going to be a bitch when the time is right.

Whoa, it's Friday in China. Aren't you free range over there?
===================================

Bush brought this on himself.

There's a been a few time he should have at least rattled the Logan Act bat, even if he didn't have 100% justification to swing it.

From what I can tell, informing Syria Israel wanted peace talks & there was no such offer from them is monkeying in foreign affairs and a true violation.

If he stays silent on this, he is destroying the jurisdiction and authority of his office.

Time to drop the act of looking 'above it all' act. That's worked out really well for him, hasn't it? Its about to do real damage now.

Damages from her disruption can be shown. Let's hope it's big.
=======================================

Even more good news! Pelosi is in Saudi Arabia!

Ihsan Abu-Holeiqa, a member of the council, said the meeting with Pelosi Thursday included discussion of the new difficulties Saudis have in getting U.S. visas, with some waiting four to five months. The lengthy process followed the Sept. 11 attacks carried out by 19 hijackers, 15 of them Saudis.

"We told her there should be some movement on the visa issue because, while we understand the security needs, the situation is unacceptable," said Abu-Holeiqa.

Yes, reverse that one too Madame Speaker. After all, you've now abolished terrorism by renaming the War on Terror to something else...why should Saudis have to wait to enter the country for security reasons?

Well, H, as usual INS is behind the 8 ball. Pre 9/11, too loose; post, too tight. The Saudis should be spending their money spreading the Enlightenment around, and they won't do that unless they come over here to be enlightened.
================================

I would think its time for peloshi to be removed from a position of power for trying to usurp the Presidents power and for Her submission to islam

One wonders of course, if she is creating more trouble away on a junket than she would be making back home.

It might cost us Taiwan, say, but this may be a small price to pay compared to the damage a power-drunk ultra-lib egomaniac could do to our economy.

Our relations with the Saudi have always been tricky, even more so since Cheney enlisted their support to lower the oil price to help stress Iran, after the Saudi's promise to fund AQ should the US leave Iraq.

Another way to say this is that Pelosi's response to that Saudi promise was to invite them to fund AQ. That should calm things down.

Op-Ed from the WaPo? I thought that you can not trust the MSM?

To bad the opinion is based on half facts. Here is what the PM said:

"The Prime Minister clarified that by these measures it would be determined whether Syria is sincere about attaining a genuine peace with Israel."

Here is what TSOTH said her message was:

"..they had frank words with President Bashar al-Assad and other senior Syrian officials here on Wednesday, pressing the president over Syria's support for militant groups and insisting that his government block militants seeking to cross into Iraq and join insurgents there. "

Sounds like both are on the same page. Syria needs to renounce support of terrorists before Israel will resume the peace process.

Speaking of the peace processes. According to Bob Novak, there is no hope of resuming the peace process until after Bush leaves office.

At least the Speaker is trying.

Isn't surrendering the country usually the domain of the President?

Or rather, isn't surrendering a foreign nation (Israel) up to Olmert?

Well, H, as usual INS is behind the 8 ball. Pre 9/11, too loose; post, too tight. The Saudis should be spending their money spreading the Enlightenment around, and they won't do that unless they come over here to be enlightened.

Kim

They're not coming here to be enlightened. They're coming here to invest- in Mosque construction and ultimately, conversion. No wonder they're complaining about this stuff taking too long.

Barney:

Sounds like both are on the same page. Syria needs to renounce support of terrorists before Israel will resume the peace process.

Nice of you to make that leap, but Iraq and Israel are two different things; likewise, are words and actions.

Come on, I even included you in my delegation to Iran...get with the program!

Or rather, isn't surrendering a foreign nation (Israel) up to Olmert?

Good point. Maybe it was a two-for-one deal, as long as Syria promises to increase it's purchase of tuna and to direct dollars to Perini.

So, what of Pelosi's "Dhimmitude" trip of appeasement to Syria? Just another Jihadist victory for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Puppet Master pulling Syrian President Al-Assad's strings, the Iranian despot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad!

But of course, since the Democrats have struck the term "War on Terror" from their vocabulary, obviously because in their leftist view they don't see us fighting such a war but only "Clintonian" sporadic localized events that in their eyes are but "Law Enforcement issues," and since with Nancy now ushering her new American Foreign Policy in the Middle East, and with the cut-and-run defeatist "Harry Reid Congress" cutting off the funds to our troops to bring about a prompt retreat that would ensure us of defeat and humiliation in Iraq, all we have to do is to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" with Bin Laden, Nasrallah, and Ahmadinejad, even as Madam Speaker is now doing with Al-Assad and his henchmen, and we will all live "Happily Ever After" in their delusional peacenik "Pelosi Lululululand"!

Where is a heroic "rogue" Israeli renegade pilot when you need one to shoot this "Muntaz Pelosi" and her "Flying Luxury Palace" off the air over Damascus? Pffff !!!

Althor

"Nice of you to make that leap, but Iraq and Israel are two different things;.." herald

Herald, first of all Nancy and I were talking about Syria's support of Hamas. Have you ever heard of them?

Second, it looks like the Prez just lost another Republican on this issue:
AP: DAMASCUS, Syria: A visiting U.S. congressman held talks with President Bashar Assad Thursday, a day after a congressional delegation headed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked controversy by meeting the Syrian leader.

Commenting on Bush's criticism, California Republican Darrell Issa said the president had failed to promote the necessary dialogue to resolve disagreements between the U.S. and Syria.

That sounds like solid support for the Speaker, and big F-You to the President. Have you ever seen a lamer duck than "W"?

Barney,

Herald, first of all Nancy and I were talking about Syria's support of Hamas. Have you ever heard of them?

What I read was:

"..pressing the president over Syria's support for militant groups and insisting that his government block militants seeking to cross into *Iraq* and join insurgents there."

Militant groups? But Barney, you've unfailingly reminded us that Hamas is not a militant group, but the democratically elected government of the mythical state of Palestine.

Were both Nancy Pelosi and Bashar al-Assad referring to Hamas as a militant group?

I'd also like to remind you that Israel had not approved anything Pelosi had said. She doesn't have the right to set foreign policy for the U.S. or Israel...yet somehow "The Most Powerful Woman in the World" has managed to do so.

And some California Republican decides for a followup visit? That sounds a little more like a "big F-You" to our country than it does to the President.

The American people overwhelmingly support Pelosi's trip. 72% in the CNN poll and 70% in the MSNBC poll. Once again, she's on the side of the American people! She can do no wrong. Darrel Issa is now in Syria meeting with Assad and bad mouthing Mr Bush. You'll just can't win!!

kiyt,

Keep trotting out the "American People overwhelmingly support my agenda" roll by citing polls. I could conduct 6 polls right now that would turn that percentile on it's head. Deal with facts, not the opinions of people's opinions and you may have a leg (albiet a small one) to stand on.

For those of you allowed to wonder off of the RW reservation check out the front page of thinkprogress.org

wonder = wander

93% of American's support our Super Friends trip to Syria! Once again, the Super Friends are on the side of the American People!

"I'd also like to remind you that Israel had not approved anything Pelosi had said" herald

How do you know? Where you there at the meeting? You keep misquoting my earlier statement, so you must have read it, so you know that Pelosi's statement was for Syria to renounce violence. That was the same statement from the PM.

"Militant groups? But Barney, you've unfailingly reminded us that Hamas is not a militant group, but the democratically elected government of the mythical state of Palestine." hearld

I got to call bullsh*t on that one. When have I said that Hamas is not a militant group? I will wait for you to provide the quote?

Oh look, another tratorious moonbat!

U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa meets Syrian president in Damascus

That bastard Issa was supposed to wait for our delegation to clear out all the supervillains!

Ok, in light of the fact that so many on the right have their panties in a bunch over Pelosi wearing a scarf and meeting with Assad, yet have no problem with Sec. of State Rice wearing a Hijab or Republican congressmen meeting with Assad, can we officially get PDS into the DSM?

Herald: "And some California Republican decides for a followup visit? That sounds a little more like a "big F-You" to our country than it does to the President."

Herald, you better add another GOP F'cker to your list.

Republican Rep Hobson:
In a telephone interview last night from Saudi Arabia, Hobson said Pelosi "did not engage in any bashing of Bush in any meeting I was in and she did not in any meeting I was in bash the policies as it relates to Syria."

Instead, Hobson said, Pelosi and the congressional delegation urged Assad to curb the number of suicide bombers who cross the Syrian border into Iraq to "murder our troops and the Iraqi people."

OOPS!

Barney:

How do you know? Where you there at the meeting?

How do I know? The Israeli Prime Minister, that's how:

The Prime Minister's Office issued a rare "clarification" Wednesday that, in gentle diplomatic terms, contradicted US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's statement in Damascus that she had brought a message from Israel about a willingness to engage in peace talks.

She said the meeting with the Syrian leader "enabled us to communicate a message from Prime Minister Olmert that Israel was ready to engage in peace talks as well."

According to officials in the Prime Minister's Office, however, this was not what transpired during her meeting with Olmert.

The officials said Olmert had told Pelosi that he thought her trip to Damascus was a mistake, and that when she asked - nevertheless - whether he had a message for Assad, Olmert said Syria should first stop supporting terrorism and "act like a normal country," and only then would Israel be willing to hold discussions.

The first part of that message, the officials said, was lost in what was reported from Damascus on Wednesday

Don't make assumptions Barney.

I got to call bullsh*t on that one. When have I said that Hamas is not a militant group? I will wait for you to provide the quote?

Don't wait on me, I'm not going to waste time searching the archives and combing through posts.

If that's not your position, fine. I obviously got the wrong idea from what you've conveyed before.

You keep misquoting my earlier statement, so you must have read it, so you know that Pelosi's statement was for Syria to renounce violence. That was the same statement from the PM.

Barney,

There's no "OOPS" moment there at all. I don't give a flying swamp donkey what she actually said, or what Issa took it upon himself to say.

The entire premise is wrong, be it Democrat or Republican.

Mmmmm....flying swamp donkeys.

manits:

That bastard Issa was supposed to wait for our delegation to clear out all the supervillains!

Yeah, but we went to Iran, remember? Ahmadinejad bathed in a bright light (it was the urnanium in his pocket we discovered later), and those cute little miniature nuclear reactors we got from the airport gift shop?

Yeah, a flying swamp donkey is me desparately trying to resist using a generous amount of profanity.

They sound tasty, with a little bbq sauce.

Totally incredible. The lefties are trying so hard to justify Polosi's trip that instead of getting angry at her for her audacity, they defend her. Show's the care they have for the country as a whole. I say we change the constitution to say that all matters relating to world events should be lead by polls. No more intelligience, analysis or planning needed. That is the lefty goal. ww

"Totally incredible. The lefties are trying so hard to justify Polosi's trip.." WW

Willie, I guess you keep missing all the quotes defending the Speaker's mission from the GOP?

Anyone hear the VP on Rush today? He totally passed on bashing the Speaker. Rush kept pushing, but even Cheney knows this will not reflect well on the Prez.

When a caller was upset by the lack of "balls" on the VP Rush said the VP was too much of a gentleman to criticize the Speaker.

What a laugh.

This trip is nothing more than Pelosi making a spectacle of herself for political capital. She's going to achieve nothing and if she really believes her words will carry any more sway than anoyne else's she's a bigger egoistic idiot than any of us would have imagined.

If the purpose was to do nothing more than what Rice has already done, what was the point of going? Did she really need to beg Assad to stop the flow of weapons in person?

I am sure she got comforting reassurances from Assad, and maybe even a couple of promises. Now let her try to cash those checks.

This is the liberal mindset. It will accomplish nothing, but it will make Pelosi look like she cars, and looking like you care is all that matters, from Gore to Redford to Kennedy to Pelosi.

The problem is that Assad has purchased weapons offsets from Bangladesh.

Nancy Pelosi is a conniving idiot without brains, but with a lot of Italian chutzpah. Stick-insect boy-Assad is a liar and a murderer of Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon.

Plus the dodo from the City on the Bay misrepresents Israel's position. But no one except delusional agitpreppies take her seriously.

The Democrats are incapable of running a foreign policy and should be kept from the Oval Office. Jimmy Carter is the biggest proof of this, but Clinton ain't far behind, as Sandy Berger tried to cover up with his botched document destruction. Clinton has a lot to hide.

And the Peter Principle has proved itself in Pelosi's case when she kept her high-IQ Jane Harmon off the Intel Cte Chair cuz Jane had brains and Nancy don't. Ditto her preference for delirium-tremens victim Murtha over Steny Hoyer for Whip.

Gresham's Law works overtime in the Dem Caucus and the Dem leadership is in a race to the bottom.

How long the MSM will applaud NP's incompetent pratfalls remains the queston. The WaPo has some residual integrity, but the NYT and LAT lag behind in this respect.

mantis:
93% of American's support our Super Friends trip to Syria! Once again, the Super Friends are on the side of the American People!

I have it on good authority that Ms. Pelosi's supa sekret identity is... Moonbat girl. Her supa sekret political powers are that she's able to talk for hours without ever saying anything!

However, I wonder why the Supa Friends didn't take Penixman (Bill Clinton) to 'work on' Assad ? Could it be that he had another assignment ?? I have a theory...

Just Saying

For those of you allowed to wonder off of the RW reservation check out the front page of thinkprogress.org

Ok for the shear comedic value I did wonder off the "reservation."(while driving a 3 mpg Hummer and sporting a bumper sticker that reads "save the planet eat more methane producing cows")

What I found was this headline: Pelosi Challenges White House: If I Gave Syria The Wrong Message, Prove It.

Who'da thunk it! Bush has been deposed, the White House is now under the direction of U.S. President Olmert!

Well...it must be so... Olmert is the one making the accusation right?

Call in Damage Control!

Simply stated Madam Pelosi (the term is so deliciously appropriate, since what she's running in Washington is but a "House of Ill Repute": a political whorehouse!), has not only taken it upon herself to dictate the Foreign Policy of the United States in defiance of the official Foreign Policy of the State Department, the President, and the Administration, but has even had the audacity to try and change Israeli Foreign Policy to suit her whims, by giving Syrian President Al-Assad not the message conveyed to her by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, but her own twist on said message based on her own twisted, defeatist, appeasing, terrorist ass-kissing peacenik agenda! What temerity and what insolence from this despicable woman!

Althor

I thought "Blinky" looked good in that bhurka. Kinda submissive,and all--just like the Islamo-Nazis demand.....

Thanks, Nancy!!!!

I'm not surprised the WaPo cricized Pelosi's visit; while the editorial page does skew liberal on substance, it is often conservative (i.e., stick to the procedure) in terms of process.

I keep hoping that Pelosi's visit and the White House condemnation are all part of some carefully thought out diplomatic gambit hatched in Washington's back hallways. But I have little faith in either Bush or Pelosi on that score.

And another thing ... I actually think it's not unreasonable for a Speaker of the House to visit countries that are allies and rivals (not enemies!) of the United States. It's even more helpful if she touches base with her counterparts other nations' legislatures. But, IMO, no Speaker of the House has any business acting as a freelance diplomat. It just undermines US policy.

And this, boys and girls, is why I'm not a loyal Democrat.

--|PW|--

Those on the left do anything to defend the heinous behavior of thier leaders. If one swears to uphold the Constitution during the installation ceremony. Most would expect the elected person to keep their oath. Democrats are different, re: Harry Reid's statement about troop financial support dated 30 Nov. 2006. That is what happens when moveon.org's agenda becomes that of a major polical party. Totally gutless. Pelosi was elected with slighly less that a total 400,000 votes, including the the votes she got making her Speaker of the House. George W. Bush, on the other hand, received 62,000,000 votes. Somewhat larger don't you think. Once every 4 years we elect a new leader. The powers of that leader are sent in stone via the Constitution. Likewise, the powers of the Congress are outlined in that document. Nowhere is it stated that congress is to involve itself in setting foreign policy. I Pelosi, in her zeal for power, feels that she is the person who should set foreign policy, she can pony up the tuna money she rips off the people of Guam for and run for President. For those of you, and you know who you are as I have identified before those who so hate Bush that it clouds what limited judgement they were ever capable of, just Google the Logan Act. Call an attorney and have him explain what that says to you. Then return here and defend the Whore of Babylon (of the west). I dare you.

Zelsdorf, your very enlightened rant wanes so "Apocalyptical"!

Truly, the "False Prophet" of the Apocalypse must be Mohammed, as even almost a thousand years ago Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologos so aptly pointed out:

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached"

which sounds so self-evidently true every time an Islamist suicide bomber, or murderous Jihadist terrorist, kills multitudes of innocent people, bystanders, and spills the blood of the "innocent" to achieve the Satanic goals of Shaitan and his false prophet Mohammed; and the "Whore of Babylon" (the seat of world power: Washington) must surely be "Madam" Pelosi, whose appellation of "Madam" is so deliciously approipriate, since what she is running in Washington is but a political whorehouse! And her cup (from homosexual San Francisco) "runneth over with all sorts of abominations"!

Think about the imagery, and tell me how befitting it is....

Althor

A special note to those that have taken great pleasure in defending Pelosi by equating her visit to those of the Republican persuasion in Syria.

1. Pelosi was specifically told by the White House not to go. The Republican delegation was given no such directive.

2. Gov. Richardson (D) is currently on a tour of Asia in an effort to move along the DPRK 6 party talks with the full approval and consent of the White House.

You are not going to believe this but I just got back the results from a poll I ran that says 100% of doctors polled believe that when Peelosser had her facelift that they pulled something besides her mouth up under her nose.(margin of error + or - .00000)

Althor, get to rehab quickly. The delusions you are experiencing are serious. BDS has truly damaged you. Sorry. I did not mention Mohammed, Satan, and incase you are not capable of understanding. Babylon of the west refers to Sin Franciso, you know, the Gay Bay. If you are fooling enough, and I have no doubt that you are, to believe Assad is not aware of which district in California she represents and in how much distain Muslims have for the acts common there. Some of you people on the left are really bizzare. I thing you are an enemy soldier in the war on drugs.

damn, i cant believe i missed the superfriends delegation....

2 cents: i think that the last thing we need is someone hauling off and doing this free-wheeling diplomacy thing, a la peloshi. just not the right way to go about things. while i certainly have my disagreements with the current foreign policies of the admin, i definitely dont agree with this whole "soft coup" thing that peloshi is running around doing.

peloshi is the speaker of the house, not the secretary of state, and certainly not the POTUS. bad form on her part, IMO.

You know, althor, back around 9/11 I remarked to several people that what we need now is a few good extremists.
===========================

Zelsdorf I was trying to be sarcastic. And was making certain parallels in a manner similar to those famous "coincidences" between Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy, such as being assassinated, that Johnson was part of the names of both of their successors, etc., which they used to sell printed on cards in novelty stores. Finding such seemingly coincidental parallels can usually be made about almost anything! I was not being
"literal."

Now, stop taking yourself so seriously and lighten up!

Althor

By the way, isn't "REHAB" for "Hollywood Celebrities Gone Wild," and people who call homosexuals "faggots", and or use the dreaded "N" word?!?! I did not use those words in my little tirade.

Althor :)