Pelosi Asks Saudis: Where Are The Women?

House Speaker Raises Issue Of Saudi Arabia's Lack Of Female Politicians

(AP)  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she raised the issue of Saudi Arabia's lack of female politicians with Saudi government officials on the last stop of her Mideast tour.

Pelosi, the first woman House speaker, said she had not discussed King Abdullah's recent criticism of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, focusing instead on praise for the king's Mideast peace initiative, and efforts to quell conflicts in Somalia and Darfur.

She met with the king Wednesday and with several members of the Shura Council, an unelected advisory assembly named by the king, on Thursday.

Asked if she had discussed the lack of women on the council, she told reporters, "The issue has been brought up in our discussions with the Saudis on this trip."

Pelosi arrived in Saudi Arabia from Syria, where she defied the White House's Middle East policy by meeting with President Bashar Assad and saying "the road to Damascus is a road to peace." The Bush administration has rejected direct talks with Damascus and criticized Pelosi for her visit.

In an interview with ABC News, Vice President Dick 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."

Pelosi was met at the Riyadh airport by officials including Abdul-Rahman al-Zamel, the head of the Saudi-American friendship committee at the Shura Council. He described the speaker's visit as a "breakthrough" and praised the inclusion of the first Muslim member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., in her delegation.

Pelosi wore a lavender pantsuit instead of the long black robe, called an abaya, that women, Saudi and non-Saudi, have to wear in the kingdom.

Visiting women dignitaries are not expected to wear the robe, and other female U.S. government officials who have visited Saudi Arabia in the past few years, such as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, did not wear abayas when they met with Saudi officials.

Ihsan Abu-Holeiqa, a member of the council, said the meeting with Pelosi Thursday included discussion of the new difficulties Saudis have in getting U.S. visas, with some waiting four to five months. The lengthy process followed the Sept. 11 attacks carried out by 19 hijackers, 15 of them Saudis.

"We told her there should be some movement on the visa issue because, while we understand the security needs, the situation is unacceptable," said Abu-Holeiqa.

Al-Zamel also praised Pelosi's visit to Syria, saying Syria "is part of this Arab world, part of the issues to be resolved, and to ignore people gets you nowhere."

Pelosi was the highest-ranking American politician to visit Syria since relations began to deteriorate in 2003. Then-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell went to Damascus in May 2003.

Washington accuses Syria of backing Hamas and Hezbollah, two groups it deems terrorist organizations, and fueling Iraq's violence by allowing Sunni insurgents to operate from its territory.

Pelosi's visit heightened tensions between the Bush administration and congressional Democrats, who have stepped up their push for change in U.S. policy in the Mideast and the Iraq war.

But Democrats — and some Republicans — said the lack of dialogue had closed doors to possible progress in resolving Mideast crises.

Pelosi 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.

"We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," said Pelosi, who met for three hours with Assad.

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.

"He's ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel," Pelosi said of the Syrian leader.

[processor2]

WHAT THE LIBERAL NEWS (cbs,abc,cnn,npr,msnbc) DIDN'T REPORT yesterday was that NANCY PELOSI STEPPED IN IT big-time.

Pelosi told the Syrians that Israel is ready to talk. WHICH WAS A LIE, Israel gave her no such instructions.
An agitated Prime Minister of Israel then had to go on Israeli TV to explain that NANCY PELOSI WAS WRONG, didn't know what she was talking about, and that Israel's foreign policy had not changed. Just because of Nancy's stupidity.

Queen Nancy needs to calm down.

...

[realpatriot1]

Sir ***,

What's funny is that you don't know that the Senate is part of the legislative branch or that impeachment begins with hearings in the House and/or Senate.

Only if and when Articles of Impeachment are voted out of committee does Impeachment move exclusively to the Senate for trial.

[sirbass73]

Its funny. Any impeachment must come from the senete not the legislative branch. I really dont think the socialists will go against one of their own and impeach her as they REALLY want to see the U.S. LOSE in Iraq. If we lose in Iraq then the socialists can say they were right. But if we win in Iraq the socialists will be proven that they were wrong on more then a few accounts. Why dont you ask your fellow socialists why they refuse to bring up charges and impeachment procedings against her?

They really dont want the world to know just how screwed up they want to make the world. Let alone the U.S.

[rdndv]

Pelosi is right on this time. Bush's policy of ignoring enemies is completely idiotic. I don't know how he plans to get anything done. Cheney's explanation-that assad has been isolated because of his bad behavior-wouldn't be a bad idea except for the fact that assad doesn't care too much about his isolation. & he certainly doesn't care enough to stop his "bad" behavior.

[realpatriot1]

mudrose,

Funny you should mention Neville Chamberlain. Grandfather Bush made his fortune by doing business with the Third Reich for the duration of WW2. You see, the Bush family always puts thier pocketbook ahead of America.

When Bush 41 was President, Sadaam asked the American ambassador if we minded if he invaded Iraq and was told we didn't care. Now that was a Neville Chamberlain moment!

[realpatriot1]

Superpatr898,

If you aren't proud of your language then why can't you let the garbage out of your brain without it? It seems you have a big problem.

You can't be too proud of who you are because no matter how often you're asked you refuse to say whether you are Israeli or American. Your silence up until this point has left no doubt as to the answer. So stop questioning the patriotism of Americans who pay the foreign aid which allows your country to exist. Get your Israeli butt ti Iraq!

[agnim]

"Pelosi Asks Saudis: Where Are The Women?"

The women are UNDER THE REAL MEN, where they belong by nature! Duh! LOL

[mudrose-2009]

The Soros group is too indoctrinated to realize that they have been indoctrinated. This is the by-product of not being taught history in the schools. These people have no concept of how government runs; no historical framework of this Continent or the European Continent. Soros and his group has great plans for this country as does that social dingbat Pelosi. Open borders, take every incursion against our country to the do-nothing U.N.; have unfetted abortions, tear down all our institutions - marriage, military, branches of government. This is what the left advocates and the silly little disciples that follow them have no clue what they are in for. For those of us that spew venom out of shear frustration that they won't ever get it, well, we've been here before in WWII. The Chamberlain crowd has once again arrived. We've beat them once, we will do it again.

[jpesot]

I have to admit that I get a real kick out of the "Guttermouth" talk and other taunts of a sexual nature ...

Particularly those from what must be True Christians ... (given the interesting swings taken at athiests) ... and then all this on Good Friday.

Yea... I'm sure the Lord is looking down and smiling at all the Peace, Compassion, and Love being modeled by such True Belivers.

Joy to the World!

[superpatr898]

Interesting. Very interesting.

We have the usual toilet water sipping, hate filled stooges of MoveOn.Org, ANSWER, International Solidarity, the Nazi Party, and of course Pelosi's Dems - who promised us a new America for the people calling Republicans and those who DO stick up for this country "incredibly ignorant" - LOL.

Of course these brain dead, bitter, atheists (after all, at least two of the leading Goosesteppers have described themselves as such), Blame America, Jooz-bait, Christian hate clowns - including a few who describe themselves as vets (of whom?) don't wish to be confused with the facts, won't accept that Ho Pelo rewarded a country that murdered Americans, won't deal with reality. They just want Sharia, or Adolf, or whatever. They don't want this country to win.

I see bluestarbigot, whom yesterday wanted Johnny Walker Lindh hanged because his son serves - is back to Jew-baiting. Nice. This bigoted clown can't tell the difference between friends and the enemy. But go kiss Pelosi's a$$ while she s*cks off Assad's d*ck. That's about your speed.

Yeah, I chose the guttermouth, and am not proud of it, I can acknowledge that, but idiots and cowards like the Left Nazis and bimbos like NYCKate, well, they're so dumb that's probably the only language they get.