In offering a defense of her wildcat foreign policy initiative to Syria, has Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi effectively called Israeli Prime Minister a liar?
As for the message from Mr. Olmert, Mrs. Pelosi said yesterday there was "absolutely no confusion."
"The message that we carried from Prime Minister Olmert was the exact message that he gave us," she said on NPR's "All Things Considered." "He is a man of peace, and he expressed to us that we should express to the president of Syria his interest in going to the negotiating table -- but not until Syria took steps to stop its support for Hamas and Hezbollah. And that is exactly the message that we conveyed."
That was not what was reported on the first go 'round. Khaled Yacoub Oweis of Reuters quoted Ms. Pelosi this way.
"(Our) meeting with the president enabled us to communicate a message from prime minister Olmert that Israel was ready to engage in peace talks as well," Pelosi, the third most senior official in Washington, told reporters after talks with Assad.
The unmistakable meaning of her words, as reported by Reuters, is that Israel is ready to engage in peace talks unconditionally, since there is no mention of Israel's demand that Syria cease its support for Hamas and Hezbollah as a pre-condition. That part came later in her clarification. But the Prime Minister's Office strongly denied that Israel relayed a message to Syria, accepting its calls to renew peace negotiations.
According to sources at the Prime Minister's Office, "Pelosi took part of the things that were said in the meeting, and used what suited her."
The same sources explained that the decision to issue a statement of denial stemmed from questions from Israeli and foreign press regarding a change in Israel's official stance on negotiations with Syria.
There is also no doubt that her mission was intended to be a direct challenge to the White House over conduct of foreign policy. Since the midterm elections there is a new sheriff in town, and Pelosi was there to serve notice. But she was serving notice on the White House, not Syria. AP reporting described it this way.
DAMASCUS, Syria -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenged the White House on Middle East policy Wednesday, meeting with Syria's leader and insisting "the road to Damascus is a road to peace."
As it turns out this is a bipartisan challenge to President Bush, since Pelosi's visit to Syria was quickly followed by one from California Republican Darrell Issa, who came right out and said publicly it was a challenge.
DAMASCUS, Syria -- A U.S. Republican congressman met President Bashar Assad on Thursday, a day after a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, spurning the White House policy of isolating the Syrian leadership.
Congressman Darrell Issa of California said President Bush had failed to promote the dialogue that is necessary to resolve disagreements between the United States and Syria.
However, after Madame Pelosi muffed the message from Israeli Prime Olmert, or muffed her description of it to the press, and after she was criticized for overstepping her authority to the point that she may have broken the law, she retreated to say no, her visit was not a challenge to the White House. She was really only conveying the White House message.
The California Democrat, who touted her visit abroad as fostering diplomacy and following the Iraq Study Group's recommendation, said yesterday she is spreading "President Bush's message" of anti-terrorism.
Unfortunately she is not even slightly credible on the issue of fighting terrorism. She might be, if she would show a willingness to fight the terrorists who are blowing up Iraqi civilians, but as we all know she intends to cut off the funds for that fight. Establishment of a stable democracy in Iraq would redound to the credit of George W. Bush who has believed in it all along, and that would not be good for the Madame's political ambitions. The unmistakable message from Madame Pelosi is that it's better for America to go down in defeat. She is doing all she can to ensure it.
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