Pelosi Defies Bush, Meets Syrian Leader
House Speaker Holds Talks With President Bashar Assad Amid White House Criticism
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Pelosi Talks Mideast Peace
CBS News RAW: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at a news conference during her visit to Syria. She emphasized the importance of peace talks between Syria and Israel.
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Pelosi In Syria
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Syria and sending a strong message home: The isolation of Syria has failed, and so has the President's war policy. Democrats want change. Wyatt Andrews reports.
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Bush Vs. Congress
The Iraq war has cost taxpayers about $378 billion. At the heart of the latest battle is how much more money will be spent and who will decide when to bring the troops home. Bill Plante reports.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, right, meets with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at al-Shaab Palace in Damascus, April 4, 2007 during her two-day trip to Syria. (AP Photo Hussein Malla)
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Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, right, welcomes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Damascus International Airport, April 3, 2007. (AFP/Getty)
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President Bush speaking to the media at the White House, April 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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Vice President Dick Cheney said Pelosi was rewarding a "bad actor" in the Mideast. The tough White House response highlighted the clash between the administration and congressional Democrats, who have stepped up their push for change in U.S. policy in the Mideast and the Iraq war.
Washington accuses Syria of supporting terror for its backing of the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. It also says Syria is fueling Iraq's violence by allowing Sunni insurgents to operate from its territory and is destabilizing the Lebanese government.
The Bush administration has rejected direct talks with Damascus until its changes its ways. But Democrats — and some Republicans — say the refusal of dialogue has closed doors to possible progress in resolving Mideast crises.
Pelosi and a delegation of five congressional Democrats and Ohio Republican Dave Hobson met for three hours with Assad, including a lunch with him in Damascus' historic Old City.
The meeting brought no immediate change in Syria's stances. Afterward, Pelosi said that despite differences over whether to talk with Syria, "there is absolutely no division between this delegation and the president of the United States on the issues of concern."
She said she expressed to Assad "our concern about Syria's connections to Hezbollah and Hamas" and militant fighters slipping across the Syrian border into Iraq.
Pelosi said she brought a message to Assad from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that Israel was ready for peace talks with Syria. Assad gave assurances that "he's ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel," Pelosi said.
The Israeli government later underlined that its stance that it is "seeking peace with Syria, but that this would only be possible if Syria abandoned terror and stopped providing assistance to terror groups."
Assad has repeatedly said over the past year that Damascus is willing to negotiate with Israel, insisting the talks must lead to the return of the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.
Despite the lack of breakthroughs, the high-profile meeting put new pressure on the White House. Rep. Tom Lantos, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who was in Pelosi's delegation, said the meeting "reinforced very strongly" the potential benefits of talking to Syria.
"We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Pelosi told reporters.
That brought a sharp attack from Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for President Bush's National Security Council.
"Unfortunately that road is lined with the victims of Hamas and Hezbollah, the victims of terrorists who cross from Syria into Iraq," he said. "It's unfortunate that she took this unilateral trip which we only see as counterproductive."
Syria hosts the exiled leadership of Hamas, as well as other Palestinian radical groups, and is a major patron of Hezbollah. Syria insists that Hamas is a legitimate resistance movement working for Palestinian freedom and Hezbollah is a regular Lebanese political party.
In an interview with ABC News, Cheney said Assad has "been isolated and cut off because of his bad behavior and the unfortunate thing about the speaker's visit is it sort of breaks down that barrier."
"It means without him having done any of those things he should do in order to be acceptable, if you will, from an international standpoint, he gets a visit from a high ranking American anyway," Cheney said.
In response, Nadeam Elshami, Pelosi's spokesman, underlined that Pelosi pressed Assad on issues of concern.
"The administration has rejected the bipartisan recommendations of the Iraq Study Group to engage Syria and instead continues to engage in a war of words with Republicans and Democrats on this issue," he said from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where the delegation met Wednesday evening with Saudi King Abullah.
Last year, the Iraq Study Group — chaired by former Republican secretary of state James Baker II and former House Democrat Lee H. Hamilton — recommended Washington open talks with Iran and Syria to try to resolve the war in Iraq and other regional crises.
Bush rejected the recommendations. But in February, the U.S. joined a gathering of regional diplomats in Baghdad that included Iran and Syria for talks on Iraq.
Since 2005, Washington has succeeded in largely isolating Damascus, with its European and Arab allies shunning Assad. The last high-ranking U.S. official to visit Syria was then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in January 2005.
But that isolation has weakened in recent months, with some European officials and a number of American lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — visiting Damascus.
"These people in the United States who are opposing dialogue I tell them one thing: Dialogue is ... the only method to close the gap existing between two countries," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told reporters after Wednesday's Assad-Pelosi meeting.
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See all 665 CommentsThe War in Iraq is still not the war on Terror and Iraq still did not attack America on 911! Bush lied and had predetermined to attack Iraq. In Ignoring Security warnings like Bin Laden planning to attack inside United States Using Passenger Aircraft, he and his cabinet are responsible for the attacks on 911 that killed over 3000 Americans and the subsequent deaths of over 3200 Americans in his mismanaged war! President Bush and the Republicans have failed on their Support for the Troops and the American People on all Counts! Bush and his Administration deserve to be impeached at best and tried for Treason.
Do the Bushies really think the rest of us are really that stupid to fall for their bullcrap again?
Less arguably, she's an executive leader and Mr. Bush never has been one. Now, under pressure, he's showing signs of cracking. We need a President and don't have one.
God Bless.
so I am noticing something in these blogs. The most I have even seen has been about 7 pages, all Bush bashing. Out of those 7 pages, I see a few of the same Bush bashers posting in every polilitical thread at CBS. Then there are those that post every once in a while. Then there are the randoms posts.
So out of 7 pages there is an average of about maybe 35 people Bush bashing and the 1 or 2 calling the Bush bashers idiots, etc.
So out of the 35 or so people letting the world know their useless and uneducated opinions there will be 1 that is actually educated enough to make sense.
Repulicans account for 1 or 2 posts in these type of threads.
So, what we now have is the reason why the GOP is in office.
We have a 99% Democratic following who are idiots. The majority of the Republican followers don't waste their time posting on these boards.
So where do the Democratic followers get the time to surf these blogs all day? Could it be that they are at home not working? Why doesn't the Republican following post in the blogs? Could it be they are at work?
Something to think about. Oh and BTW, I really hope I have 2 minutes of your life that you can never get back with this useless post.
That said it all, you just don't like a women in charge. You would not say I hate this man and he needs to get off his high horse. Speaking of Dictators I'm sure you think Bush is amazing LOL
Syria is Bathist, the same as Saddam Hussein. Syria occupied Lebanon, and after we made them leave, they assasinate anti-Syrian Officials in Lebanon.
Persecution of people like Pelosi goes on regularly in Syria. Communicating with foreign heads of state, like Pelosi is doing, got one guy arrested in 2005, and he faces a life sentence for it.
Pelosi's long nose and nimble lips seek nothing but political power in the USA, to upshore a shaky demoncrat stronghold in Congress, to destablize the Office of the President of the United States.
17000 prisoners have disappeared from Syrian custody, many presumed dead. Syria refuses to divulge any information of the whereabouts of these prisoners held since as far back as 1979, not even to families. Many of them were Lebanese citizens. All of them were political prisoners.
Pelosi has no reason to go to Syria. She would do far more in Lebanon for US interests abroad. This woman is dangerous, seeking to ally the USA with a savage, brutal dictatorship, akin to Butcher of Bagdad, just like Saddam Hussein.
Something to think about. Oh and BTW, I really hope I have 2 minutes of your life that you can never get back with this useless post.
Posted by egotistic at 07:58 AM : Apr 04, 2007
LOL You either haven't been around these sites long or you are in complete denial. Either way I hope you feel better now that you've defended that ignorance or denial. Anyone who does not understand the MESS this nation is in should seek HELP and anyone who things that ONLY Democrats are on these Boards wasn't around during the Elections. Now go play with your swastika and go right on pretending. Oh! I'd suppose you think Pelosi was put in her position by the Tooth Fairy, right? LMAO
Posted by gslinger3 at 07:22 AM : Apr 04, 2007
--------------------
Bush has proven to be the worst actual terrorist in history (911, red alert, orange alert, mushroom cloud, WMD, etc) and proves your point on a daily basis. He will not NEGOTIATE with anyone, period. He simply brands those who don%u2019t fall in line with his aggressive policies as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers.
Your vulgarity and name calling characteristic trait makes you an embarrassment even to Bush.
Posted by egotistic
Or is it, 99% idiots who claim to be Democrats so they can complain about something!!
These kind of people are like hot and cold water, they change with the seasons, every time so imagined conspiracy theory hits the web/News or even the local gossip at the town pub.
The only thing for sure is that 99% of the "facts" they use are factually imagination.
It is a crying shame that the Speaker of the House has to take it upon herself to go represent America because our own Secretary of State is so incompetent and inept at everything and the State Department is in Ruin. Secretary Rice could not even be trusted to go to Korea to negotiate with them on their nuclear program dismantling, we sent one of her underlings. Remember Condi Rice was National Security Advisor who blew off the Security Briefing August 2001 that was titled, Bin Laden Planning Attack inside United States Using Passenger Aircraft. She said there was no actionable intelligence. That is what she told Congress! Can anyone in America believe this woman is still in office representing America? Her ineptitude has cost Thousands of American Lives; she should be tried for being stupid and put in Rehab somewhere for her lack of foresight, inaction and betrayal of the American Trust! Americans spoke November 7, 2006 and told the Republicans they wanted out of the War in Iraq, accountability, and a change in Direction in American policy. Nancy Pelosi is representing the Majority of American People and is trying to execute that mandate given her by the American People! Yes, Nancy Pelosi should not have to go to the Middle East but out of Necessity she has to. No one in the Bush Administration is competent enough to do so!
Posted by pwrslm at 08:13 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Ummm. Didn't the Iraq Study Group advise us to do this EXACT thing? Were they as dangerous as Ms. Pelosi? LOL Man you fascist just never seem to get it do you. If you can't blame the failures on someone you got NOTHING! If you can't come up with an excuse for those failures there's no where for us to turn. So we're supposed to sit here while the nation slides into bankruptcy because you can't admit Bush is a complete Failure? No thanks1 This lady has more courage in her little finger than Bush does his whole body so leave her alone and lets see if she can help stop this tragic mistake called Iraq. Sieg Heil
Posted by gslinger3 at 07:22 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Funny you call all liberals pot smoking hippies. Lets see Rush abused ocxycotin.... which is worse? I would wager a small bet that most if not all pot smoking rednecks support Bush.... So how about dropping the deadend insults and posting something of substance?
I agree with Senator Reid, Mr.Bush is President of the United States not King of the United States and now that the he no longer has his court of jesters to do his bidding, he is really the emperor without any clothes.
Posted by bsrasmus at 08:20 AM : Apr 04, 2007
What are Bush and the neocons so afraid of? That Pelosi might actually get the process moving? Someone needs to. All Bush does is call people names like a third-grader on a playground. He is no statesman by any stretch of the imagination.
At worst, she will accomplish nothing and Syria will continue as it has during Bush's term.
Nothing to lose, quite a bit to gain.
she should be tried for being stupid and put in Rehab somewhere for her lack of foresight,
There is rehab for this?
Posted by egotistic
I can understand why the neocons are so bitter. They lost the House, lost the Senate, see their policies being bought by about a third of the electorate, know they'll lose the White House next year and where does all that leave them? One the fringe where they belong.
Posted by MCVet at 08:18 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Thats not courage, its stupidity. Allying with Assad does "NOTHING" for the USA. The guys a brutal dictator, just like Saddam was.
You sure like to throw everthing into the same hat dont you? For once, why dont you try to use good common sense instead of party line politics, you might just find that independent thinking is much better than repeating the SOS day after day after day.
In other words, get a life and stop defending stipid crapola. Iraq Study Group? Our governments stand was made more than clear on the Syria issue. We would not negotiate with Syria until theys stopped financing terror groups in Lebanon. Pelosi's trip signals to Assad that its ok to finance Hezbollah and anti Lebanese factions in Lebanon, because nobody out there is a serious threat.
Kissing Demoncraps arse does nothing to your characture, really. Pelosi is a loose cannon.
But noooo... those NAZI facists in the white house are trying to protect Israel because "GOD" told them to!!
IMPEACH BUSH NOW!!
Posted by leftwingnut
Your name certainly says it all, leave off the left wing and it is 100% correct.Wipe any nation off of the face of the earth is absurb.
I am really sick of this ideology that all of us who support diplomacy and reject the current administrations "shoot first, ask questions later" policy on international affairs are "pot smoking hippies". Since only about 30% of the American people still support the Iraq war, and only a slightly higher number still support the president, then it would stand to reason that not all of these people are what you would name call as "pot smoking hippies" It seems to me that this is how you justify in your mind supporting a war and administration that on an intellectual level you know is wrong.
And ps this is America, if someone chooses to be a pot smoking hippie, then they have that right.
But noooo... those NAZI facists in the white house are trying to protect Israel because "GOD" told them to!!
IMPEACH BUSH NOW!!
Posted by leftwingnut
Why Israel? If we wipped all the Arab nations off the map, we could have all the oil, and let the Israeli's pump it out of the ground for us without orthodox muslims trying to reestablish the kaliphate so they can begin spreading Sharia Islamic laws across the globe....
When you take out the only democracy in a sea of Muslim nations, what makes you expect that Islam will not turn to eliminate another nation? History speaks louder than your common sense, you dont ally with a viper if you dont want to get bit.
I'm still waiting for the link supporting your claim that Saddam trained al Qaeda in Iraq. Let's see, you've been ignoring the request for what, 3 days now? What's up? No gots?
Posted by leftwingnut
No, the best way to achieve peace in the middle east is to force Israel to deal with the Palestinians in a just manner and end their apartheid.
Posted by msmithdznr
Our governments stand was made more than clear on the Syria issue. We would not negotiate with Syria until theys stopped financing terror groups in Lebanon (and elsewhere).
Thats not a "shoot first" policy. Is that the way your mind works? Does the use of lies to justify your emotions really work that well?
I always thought the truth was more important than politics, but hey!! everyone has thier hang ups, right?
you are as you say...a nut. An also a NAZI.
Read that in your pipe dreams. You want Israel destroyed and NOT Al Qaeda? You're a NAZI.
Why don't you be a nice little monkey and impeach yourself? Ahhhh, now you will feel better. In fact go join Adolf and Saddam.
Once again we have bluestarbigot, a guy who if he ever wore an American uniform has disgraced it so many more times than Ben Arnold, or even another one of his heroes Kerry have, telling us who are friends are in the Middle East. Namely those who murdered our Marines in Beirut, who slaughtered those aboard Flight 103, and who cheered as they saw the airliners crash into the Twin Towers.
Namely those whom Botox Girl went to kiss a$$, for presumably she wasn't getting the affection at home.
Another lousy traitor, America-hater, Jooz baiter - and liar. Just like Bluestarbigot, MCVet (like McVey?),ImpeachBush, and Ex.
Pwrslm and bsrasmus, thank you for your intelligence amongst the haters, disgracers, and just plain bozos. Pelosi is a traitor.
Wait till the next election. Botox girl will be out on her dainty little TERROR appeasing a$$.
Posted by pwrslm at 08:45 AM : Apr 04, 2007
You mean like your promoting the lie that Saddam trained al Qaeda in Iraq, pwrslm?
Posted by formrusmcsgt at 08:44 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Just like we forced the indians to deal with the white man.
What a joke. At least the Indians were "real". There are no such thing as "Palestinians". They are Arab. FACTS, not imagination, solve problems. After these so called "palestine" freedom fighters have sent "over" 20 thousand attacks against the civilians in Israel, you want Israel to bend over and kiss thier arses? Get real, the cheap whine in that story smells more like vinegar, for sure.
It's time for some real work to end all of this distruction, not destruction by our current facists running the white house!
It is a crying shame that the Speaker of the House has to take it upon herself to go represent America because our own Secretary of State is so incompetent and inept at everything and the State Department is in Ruin. Secretary Rice could not even be trusted to go to Korea to negotiate with them on their nuclear program dismantling, we sent one of her underlings. Remember Condi Rice was National Security Advisor who blew off the Security Briefing August 2001 that was titled, Bin Laden Planning Attack inside United States Using Passenger Aircraft. She said there was no actionable intelligence. That is what she told Congress! Can anyone in America believe this woman is still in office representing America? Her ineptitude has cost Thousands of American Lives; she should be tried for being stupid and put in Rehab somewhere for her lack of foresight, inaction and betrayal of the American Trust! Americans spoke November 7, 2006 and told the Republicans they wanted out of the War in Iraq, accountability, and a change in Direction in American policy. Nancy Pelosi is representing the Majority of American People and is trying to execute that mandate given her by the American People! Yes, Nancy Pelosi should not have to go to the Middle East but out of Necessity she has to. No one in the Bush Administration is competent enough to do so!
Posted by Superpatr898 at 08:46 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Unlike yourself who demonstrates very profound thought processes with your third grader name calling, eh?
And BTW, it's "Jews", not "Jooz"......
So--I left my crying towel in the truck, Neocons! Your and your Bushit leader can just SUCK IT UP.
Posted by radiob at 08:49 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Olmert came under fire at home for proposing peace talks with the Arabs. Obviously, many in Israel don't want peace, but rather, a continuation of the apartheid.
Not with these wackos, including so-called EX servicemen, presumably not American, unless they have the same ideology as Tim McVey did, or George Lincoln Rockwell. After all, they served too.
To these mental retards, Israel is the enemy. Note EX-lax telling us ala his coward and bigoted bud Jimmy Carter that Israel is an Apartheid state. At least for now he doesn't want it wiped out, just truncated so that terror can be appeased.
Of course these wackos who demand ala Botox Nan that negotiations begin anew want Islamofascism reward. Israel NEEDS to give back the Golan - they say, ala Botox b&tch and Jim F THE Jooz Baker - then there will be peace. Israel needs to be nice to the Palys so they can kill more women and children.
For these Nazis and Surrender Monkeys, not to mention Mussolini's botox-filled daughter, it is blame the Jooz and blame America. NEVER - destroy Islamofascism. After all, killing REAL terrorists is a stretch for REAL COWARDS.
Like Bluebigot and EX.
Posted by pwrslm at 08:48 AM : Apr 04, 2007
That's rich! Where are your facts backing up your lie that Saddam trained al Qaeda in Iraq, pwrslm?
Posted by formrusmcsgt
Jooz is actually a derogatory slang for the Jewish people.Does superpat know that?
Like Bluebigot and EX.
Posted by Superpatr898 at 08:55 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Tell me about your combat service as you love to call me a cowrd after having served my country Superpatr898, and we'll see who the coward really is.
I served in Mag-12
Bin Hoa, RVN
1972-73
What's your combat service?
I support a peace settlement with Israel 496 61.8 68.4 68.4
I oppose a peace settlement with Israe 229 28.6 31.6 100.0
Total 725 90.4 100.0
Missing 99 76 9.5
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Support 630 78.6 87.6 87.6
Oppose 89 11.1 12.4 100.0
Total 719 89.7 100.0
Missing 99 82 10.2
System 1 .1
Total 83 10.3
Total 802 100.0
System 1 .1
Total 77 9.6
Total 802 100.0
Posted by radiob at 08:57 AM : Apr 04, 2007
Lieberman also misspells Jews as Jooz. I think we're dealing with one in the same.
I suspect Lieberman got thrown out again for his stupidity and insults and came back with a new moniker. Same drivel, different name.
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