As nation faces a grave threat, Pelosi assumes presidential power

[stephanie]

:clap:

Originally published April 5, 2007
Congressman Tom Lantos, who is a member of the delegation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led to Syria, put the mission clearly when he said: "We have an alternative, Democratic foreign policy." Democrats can have any foreign policy they want - if and when they are elected to the White House.

Until Ms. Pelosi came along, it was understood by all that we had only one president at a time and - like him or not - he alone had the constitutional authority to speak for this country to foreign nations, especially in wartime.

All that Ms. Pelosi's trip can accomplish is to advertise American disunity to a terrorist-sponsoring nation in the Middle East while we are in a war there. That in turn can only embolden the Syrians to exploit the lack of unified resolve in Washington by stepping up their efforts to destabilize Iraq and the Middle East in general.

Members of the opposition party, whichever party that might be at a given time, have known that their role was not to intervene abroad to undermine this country's foreign policy, however much they might criticize it at home. During World War II, the defeated Republican presidential candidate, Wendell Willkie, even acted as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's personal envoy to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He understood that we were all in this together, however we might disagree among ourselves about the best course to follow.

Today, Ms. Pelosi and the congressional Democrats are stepping in to carry out their own foreign policy and even their own military policy on troop deployment - all the while denying that they are intruding on the president's authority.

They are doing the same thing domestically by making a big media circus over the fact that the Bush administration fired eight U.S. attorneys. These attorneys are among the many officials who serve at the pleasure of the president - which means that they can be fired at any time, for any reason or for no reason.

That is why there was no big hullabaloo in the media when President Bill Clinton fired all the U.S. attorneys across the country - even though that got rid of the U.S. attorneys who were conducting an investigation into corruption in Mr. Clinton's administration as governor of Arkansas.

So much hate has been hyped against George W. Bush that anything that is done against him is unlikely to be questioned in most of the media.

But whatever passing damage is being done to President Bush is a relatively minor concern compared with the lasting damage that is being done to the presidency that will still be here when Mr. Bush is gone.

Once it becomes accepted that it is all right to violate the laws and the traditions of this nation, and to undermine the ability of the United States to speak to other nations of the world with one voice, we will have taken another fateful step into the degeneration of this society.

Such a drastic and irresponsible step should remove any lingering doubt that the Democrats' political strategy is to ensure that there is an American defeat in Iraq in order to ensure their political victory in 2008.

That these political games are being played while Iran keeps advancing relentlessly toward acquiring nuclear weapons is a fateful sign of the utter unreality of politicians preoccupied with scoring points and a media obsessed with celebrity bimbos, living and dead.

Once Iran has nuclear weapons, that will be an irreversible change that will mark a defining moment in the history of the United States and of Western civilization, which will forever after live at the mercy of hate-filled suicidal fanatics.

Yet among too many politicians in Washington, it is business as usual. Indeed, it is monkey business as usual, as congressional Democrats revel in the power of their new and narrow election victory last year to drag people before committee hearings and posture for the television cameras.

It has been said that the world ends not with a bang but with a whimper. But who would have thought that it could end with political clowning in the shadow of a mushroom cloud?



Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His column appears Thursdays in The Sun. His e-mail is info@creators.com.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.sowell05apr05,0,7997967.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines

[stephanie]

Pelosi need to be shunned and ridiculed for her stunt..

Pratfall in Damascus
Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy

Thursday, April 5, 2007; A16



HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) 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.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402306_pf.html

[Gaffer]

Like I said before. Israel rebuked her for telling lies.

she can't get control of the troops so now she is trying to control foriegn policy. This baffoon is a dangerous person.

[stephanie]

We should all contact our Reps. and demand they speak out on this..

[theHawk]

Quiet you neacon thugs, the people spoke last election. The people obviously want their newly elected leaders to throw the Constitution out the window and usurp Presidential powers.

[stephanie]

Quiet you neacon thugs, the people spoke last election. The people obviously want their newly elected leaders to throw the Constitution out the window and usurp Presidential powers.

:slap:
Now go contact your Reps..

:laugh2:

[Gaffer]

We should all contact our Reps. and demand they speak out on this..

yeah like they will listen. :laugh2:

[stephanie]

yeah like they will listen. :laugh2:

Never hurts to try..:salute:

[manu1959]

anyone want to guess who my rep is?

let me guess she started off with..." i am not the president, but i did stay in the damascus holiday in express last night"

[stephanie]

anyone want to guess who my rep is?

let me guess she started off with..." i am not the president, but i did stay in the Damascus holiday in express last night"

Man I feel for ya...
Hopefully that will change when it's up for reelection..:laugh2:

[manu1959]

Man I feel for ya...
Hopefully that will change when it's up for reelection..:laugh2:

i was hoping that her plane would crash ....

[stephanie]

i was hoping that her plane would crash ....

I was hoping the chinless dictator she met with in Syria, would of taken her for one of his wives....:laugh2:

[Mr. P]

I was hoping the chinless dictator she met with in Syria, would of taken her for one of his wives....:laugh2:

As a hostage woulda been better! :laugh2:

[Mr. P]

As a hostage woulda been better! :laugh2:

No, now that I think about the wife thing would be better.

[typomaniac]

Like I said before. Israel rebuked her for telling lies.Sorry, but she didn't lie. (Not about this, at least.)

What Pelosi said was "We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel."

Olmert responded that Israel wanted peace but still considers Syria part of the Axis of Evil. So Syria says it's ready for Peace talks and Israel says it doesn't negotiate with the Axis of Evil.

If Pelosi had told Assad that Israel was ready to come to the peace table, then you would have your lie, but it seems that never happened.

As for the other matter of the trip itself, Congresspeople go on fact-finding missions overseas all the time. So freakin' what? (shrug)

[manu1959]

Sorry, but she didn't lie. (Not about this, at least.)

What Pelosi said was "We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel."

Olmert responded that Israel wanted peace but still considers Syria part of the Axis of Evil. So Syria says it's ready for Peace talks and Israel says it doesn't negotiate with the Axis of Evil.

If Pelosi had told Assad that Israel was ready to come to the peace table, then you would have your lie, but it seems that never happened.

As for the other matter of the trip itself, Congresspeople go on fact-finding missions overseas all the time. So freakin' what? (shrug)

got any links to any of your opinions?

[stephanie]

Sorry, but she didn't lie. (Not about this, at least.)

What Pelosi said was "We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel."

Olmert responded that Israel wanted peace but still considers Syria part of the Axis of Evil. So Syria says it's ready for Peace talks and Israel says it doesn't negotiate with the Axis of Evil.

If Pelosi had told Assad that Israel was ready to come to the peace table, then you would have your lie, but it seems that never happened.

As for the other matter of the trip itself, Congresspeople go on fact-finding missions overseas all the time. So freakin' what? (shrug)

She had No Right trying to negotiate ANYTHING between Israel and Syria, she had no right passing on messages, and making this big photo opt with it..
We have a Sec. of State..
Pelosi is just a lowly speaker, NOT THE Sec. of State..

Spin away all you like...But those are the facts..

She should be shunned and ridiculed for this stunt..

[Dilloduck]

Sorry, but she didn't lie. (Not about this, at least.)

What Pelosi said was "We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel."

Olmert responded that Israel wanted peace but still considers Syria part of the Axis of Evil. So Syria says it's ready for Peace talks and Israel says it doesn't negotiate with the Axis of Evil.

If Pelosi had told Assad that Israel was ready to come to the peace table, then you would have your lie, but it seems that never happened.

As for the other matter of the trip itself, Congresspeople go on fact-finding missions overseas all the time. So freakin' what? (shrug)

Nice of us to pay for all those vacations, ain't it ! :laugh2:

[typomaniac]

got any links to any of your opinions?As you wish. (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1173879247562&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)

[typomaniac]

Nice of us to pay for all those vacations, ain't it ! :laugh2:Some of them are worth it, policy-wise; most probably aren't. I'd guess the Rs and Ds waste our money about equally on such stuff. :(

[manu1959]

As you wish. (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1173879247562&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)

so is this article intended to support or refute claims that she was or was not there negotiating foriegn policy.....

[typomaniac]

so is this article intended to support or refute claims that she was or was not there negotiating foriegn policy.....This article is what I quoted from originally in this thread. If you want to try spinning it differently, knock yourself out.

[stephanie]

The only one's spinning right now are Democrats...They know that Pelosi SCREWED up big time on this one...
And it's coming back to back to bite them in A$$..

:dance:

[Mr. P]

Sorry, but she didn't lie. (Not about this, at least.)

What Pelosi said was "We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel."

Olmert responded that Israel wanted peace but still considers Syria part of the Axis of Evil. So Syria says it's ready for Peace talks and Israel says it doesn't negotiate with the Axis of Evil.

If Pelosi had told Assad that Israel was ready to come to the peace table, then you would have your lie, but it seems that never happened.

As for the other matter of the trip itself, Congresspeople go on fact-finding missions overseas all the time. So freakin' what? (shrug)

Read your own link..

Pelosi, who met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad over the objections of US President George W. Bush, said she brought a message to Assad from Olmert saying that Israel was ready for peace talks.

The statement said Olmert had not communicated to Pelosi any change in Israeli policy on Damascus.

[manu1959]

Read your own link..

fucking hell they are kicking their own asses now

[Mr. P]

fucking hell they are kicking their own asses now

Yep!

[manu1959]

This article is what I quoted from originally in this thread. If you want to try spinning it differently, knock yourself out.

not spinning anything ... seemd like a straight forword question .... do you think this articel supported or refuted the claim that she was or was not there negotiating foriegn policy?

[typomaniac]

Read your own link..I did. Now read this, paying special attention to what I put in bold:
We emphasized to President Assad that peace with Israel is essential to a U.S.-Syria relationship. We conveyed to him Prime Minister's Olmert's overture for peace talks when Syria openly takes steps to stop supporting terrorism.Source (http://speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0135)

No inconsistencies, no contradictions. However, I have a bunch of toy machine guns available for consolation prizes, if you'd like one.

[Mr. P]

I did. Now read this, paying special attention to what I put in bold:Source (http://speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0135)

No inconsistencies, no contradictions. However, I have a bunch of toy machine guns available for consolation prizes, if you'd like one.

That's NOT the link you posted to support your claim she didn't lie.

Go fish.

[typomaniac]

That's NOT the link you posted to support your claim she didn't lie.

Go fish.Wrong game. Let's do a quick recap:

Number of links posted supporting claim that Pelosi didn't lie: 2
Number of links posted supporting claim that Pelosi lied: 0

You and your comrades in arms need at least 3 more links to win this battle. :)

[manu1959]

wow.... all those sources sure seem to indicate she was negotiating foreign policy...

[typomaniac]

wow.... all those sources sure seem to indicate she was negotiating foreign policy...I see. So if I legally traveled to Syria and bumped into Mr. Assad (yes, it's a stretch but work with me here) and got to chatting with him, I would suddenly be negotiating foreign policy?

[Mr. P]

Wrong game. Let's do a quick recap:

Number of links posted supporting claim that Pelosi didn't lie: 2
Number of links posted supporting claim that Pelosi lied: 0

You and your comrades in arms need at least 3 more links to win this battle. :)

No just one link, your link attempting to refute that she lied…

Pelosi, who met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad over the objections of US President George W. Bush, said she brought a message to Assad from Olmert saying that Israel was ready for peace talks.

So did she or didn’t she say that?
BTW her site is NOT a credible source.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1173879247562&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[manu1959]

No just one link, your link attempting to refute that she lied…


So did she or didn’t she say that?
BTW her site is NOT a credible source.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1173879247562&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

he she denies it long enough it will no longer be true

[Mr. P]

I see. So if I legally traveled to Syria and bumped into Mr. Assad (yes, it's a stretch but work with me here) and got to chatting with him, I would suddenly be negotiating foreign policy?

Chatting? :laugh2: You think she was chatting? :laugh2:

[typomaniac]

No just one link, your link attempting to refute that she lied…

So did she or didn’t she say that?Yes, and it was only a partial paraphrase. She said more, as the other link shows.

BTW, is there any reason you give for her site not being credible, other than the fact that she's a Democrat? This enquiring mind wants to know...

[manu1959]

I see. So if I legally traveled to Syria and bumped into Mr. Assad (yes, it's a stretch but work with me here) and got to chatting with him, I would suddenly be negotiating foreign policy?

no you wouldn't be as you were neither qualified or authorized by the president of the united states as you must be both....

[Mr. P]

Yes, and it was only a partial paraphrase. She said more, as the other link shows.

BTW, is there any reason you give for her site not being credible, other than the fact that she's a Democrat? This enquiring mind wants to know...

You mean besides the fact she's a power hungry liberal politician and isn't trying to hide it? :laugh2:

[Gunny]

i was hoping that her plane would crash ....

I was thinking kidnapped by some radical Islamic group pissed that an infidel woman was sporting their religious headgarb around.:dance: