Pratfall In Damascus

Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy

Editorial - April 5th, 2007 - Washington Post

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.

[snip]

Only one problem: The Israeli prime minister entrusted Ms. Pelosi with no such message.

Nancy Pelosi has just proved that she does not have a clue about what is happening in the middle east. She is so ignorant of what is going on that a simple statement from the Prime Minister of his government policy was regarded by her as a breathrough from the Israeli government that she could communicate to the Baathist thug al-Assad of Syria. She had mis-understood both what Olmert said and the importance of her own role.

Of course Syria immediately broadcast her comments accepting at face value Assad's claim that he is ready to "resume the peace process" with Israel. Her gullible acceptance of his propaganda scored a diplomatic coup for Syria and undercut both the U.S. and Israeli positions in the process.

Even the progressives of the Washington Post were so embarrassed by her screw up that they called it a pratfall and said Pelosi's effort is "not only counterproductive, it is foolish."

FOOLISH! I agree.


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