In Pelosi's playground

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last week, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Damascus. Pelosi presented herself as bringing a message of peace from Jerusalem - a message that never was.

She also concluded from her talks with Bashar Assad that the Syrian president is willing to "resume the peace process" - a controversial conclusion at best. So much so that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert felt obligated to publish a quick clarification regarding the visit: There is no change in Israeli policy. And here is one thing to be learned from the short and rather embarrassing incident: For the next two years, Israel, like other countries in the Middle East, will be a pawn on Pelosi's game board.

Pelosi, they say in Washington, didn't like the Israeli clarification. It made her look slightly ridiculous, like a rookie in foreign policy. Upon her return to the U.S. it became evident that her attempt to conduct independent foreign policy for Congress' Democratic majority was not appreciated from wall to wall. The administration, predictably, attacked her, but not just the administration.

"Ms. Pelosi's attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish," writes the Washington Post in a scathing editorial. The New York Times editorial, however, was more sympathetic: "Such Congressional visits can serve the useful purpose of spurring a much needed examination of the administration's failed policies."

Haaretz

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1. Pelosi, Lantos may be interested in diplomatic trip to Iran

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, just back from a trip to Syria that sparked sharp criticism from Republicans and the Bush administration, suggested Tuesday that they may be interested in taking another diplomatic trip - to open a dialogue with Iran.

The Democratic speaker from San Francisco and Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were asked at a press conference in San Francisco Tuesday whether on the heels of their recent trip to the Middle East they would be interested in extending their diplomacy in the troubled region with a visit to Iran.

"Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning, because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him,'' Lantos said. "Speaking for myself, I'm ready to go -- and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be.''

Pelosi did not dispute that statement, and noted that Lantos -- a Hungarian-born survivor of the Holocaust -- brought "great experience, knowledge and judgment" to the recent bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in addition to Syria.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2802147

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2. could the post be more blatant?

"Ms. Pelosi's attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish," writes the Washington Post in a scathing editorial" did karl fax or hand deliver this shit to the post?

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3. No, Olmert was sort of obvious too.

Personally, I don't think annoying Ms Pelosi was a smart thing to do. Rosner sort of acknowledges that here.

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4. yes he was

i think he set her up big time and i hope he get`s paid back

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5. Not much you can do to Olmert, he is toasted already.

But if "Israeli interest" is to not talk to Syria or Iran, than he probably trashed "Israeli interest" when he got cute with her, to the extent she would have been "sensitive" about it in the first place. But then he has been remarkably tone deaf all along.