Pelosi's Job?

“It’s one thing to send a message...It’s another thing to have the person receiving the message actually do something. Sending delegations hasn’t worked, it’s simply been counterproductive.”

-President Bush

So apparently it is in Nancy Pelosi's job description to play foreign diplomat...

I'm being sarcastic. She basically showed the world this past week why it is wrong for members of congress to pretend to be the Secretary of State. When Ms. Pelosi arrived in Syria she met with dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, after which she proclaimed she had a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. Pelosi went on to state that "We expressed our interest in using our good offices in promoting peace between Israel and Syria."

There are a couple of different issues here: First, the Prime Minister of Israel gave no such message to Ms. Pelosi. Second, she misrepresented the Syrian dictator's message. This is seen by the one thing that Prime Minister Olmert DID tell Nancy Pelosi: "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." So, House Speaker Pelosi essentially has given credibility to Assad's message, words that everyone else is calling lies and propaganda (proven by his actions).

Although she has been met with criticism from the President and others, Pelosi goes on by saying "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Ms. Pelosi grandly declared.

The following is the Washington Post's response to her words: "Never mind that that statement is ludicrous: As any diplomat with knowledge of the region could have told Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Assad is a corrupt thug whose overriding priority at the moment is not peace with Israel but heading off U.N. charges that he orchestrated the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. 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." Yes, the Washington Post.

Essentially, Nancy Pelosi is doing exactly what we all thought she would: Making herself and the Democrats look foolish. She goes far beyond that, however, by stepping into a realm she knows nothing about. She then attempts to negotiate with a dangerous dictator whose country has supported the efforts of terror organizations, Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as the continued efforts to combat our soldiers in the Middle East. Maybe she's lost?

Bottom line: She needs to come home and shut her mouth. Ms. Pelosi, let Condoleeza handle foreign affairs (it is her job, one she does well), you focus on your wacky liberal agendas and continue to shoot yourself (John Kerry style).