This editorial appeared in today’s Washington Post, a newspaper that is certainly no friend to President Bush or to conservatives in general.

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 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.

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.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Rep. Pelosi is first of all a representative of her congressional district in the San Francisco area, and is not the representative of the entire United States government.

Unless you live in her district she does not represent you. Her position as Speaker of the House means she is the leader of the Democrat Caucus in the House and since the Democrats are in the majority she holds the title Speaker of the House, and as such can set the legislative agenda and make committee appointments for the Democrats only in the United States House of Representatives.

No one has confirmed her as any kind of ambassador for the United States, and her (appropriately named in this editorial) shadow presidency is doing nothing to help this country, but is hurting it instead.

There will be no censure by Congress of Ms. Pelosi because her party controls the Congress, but the American people are aware of what she is doing and may have a lot to say about it in November 2008.

“Politics stop at the water’s edge” used to be the old saying, but lately we have seen former President Jimmy Carter, former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore disparage their own country while in foreign lands.

This trip by Ms. Pelosi and all those who accompanied her is nothing but a slap in the face to the Constitution of the United States in order to slap the face of the President of the United States, and it is disgraceful.

Written by ~J~

Comments are closed.