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Pelosi’s visit to Middle East won’t have much impact
Published 12:00 p.m., April 6, 2007
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues have, perhaps, made a political point by visiting several countries in the Middle East this week. But we doubt that the visits will actually accomplish any changes in those countries’ policies. Speaking to other nations is something the United States should do with a single voice, and random Congressional delegations are not likely to accomplish anything that the administration can not.
Pelosi visited Syria and Saudi Arabia to press their leaders for various reforms — in essence, stepping on the toes of the work that the State Department is already doing. Beyond proving that the Democrats who control Congress have the power to travel the world, we’re not sure whether the Pelosi trip accomplished anything.
Indeed, it likely worsened the United States’ credibility with those nations. After all, if the world’s most powerful nation can’t even get its message straight, who are these foreign leaders to believe? And what will be the credibility of the next administration envoy who visits the region?
Democrats may be enjoying their powerful new position in Washington. But there are untold domestic issues that deserve their time. It would be better to leave foreign relations to the State Department professionals.
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Please, check other information available before publishing. First, there was a Republican with the group that went with Pelosi.
Second, as cited here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...
Republicans have their own group that is touring the Middle East and visiting leaders in Syria.
The tours and meetings in the Middle East that are being so highly criticized by our administration are results of recommendations by the Iraq Study Group. Also from bloomberg.com:
" Pelosi's office today announced that she will visit Israel and address the Israeli Knesset on Sunday, and late today confirmed the planned stop in Syria as part of the trip with five other lawmakers. Her spokesman, Brendan Daly, said that the Iraq Study Group led by former Secretary of State James Baker last year recommended that the Bush administration hold talks with Syria and Iran without conditions to help stabilize Iraq.
``As recommended by the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan delegation led by Speaker Pelosi intends to discuss a wide range of security issues affecting the United States and the Middle East with representatives of governments in the region, including Syria,'' Daly said in a prepared statement. "
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