White House criticizes Pelosi's planned Syria visit

[rodeodance]

Source: cnn

White House criticizes Pelosi's planned Syria visit
POSTED: 8:31 p.m. EDT, March 30, 2007


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House has criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plans to stop in Syria next week during a Middle East trip that began Friday.
...............

The United States has accused Syria of aiding the Sunni insurgency in western Iraq with weapons and fighters. Syria also is accused of supporting the militant extremist groups Hezbollah, a Shiite political party and militia, and Hamas.

"We do not encourage and, in fact, we discourage members of Congress to make such visits to Syria," said White House deputy spokeswoman Dana Perino. "This is a country that is a state sponsor of terror, one that is trying to disrupt the (Prime Minister Fouad) Siniora government in Lebanon and one that is allowing foreign fighters to flow through its borders to Iraq.

"I don't know what she is trying to accomplish, and I don't know if anyone in the administration has spoken to her about it," Perino said. "In general, we do discourage such trips."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/30/pelosi.trip/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

[saltpoint]

1. It's Dems who seem to be willing to go to Syria, against the official

objections of the Bush administration, and the Bush administration who's too frightened of the Sryians and Iranians to sit down and negotiate with them.

Someone has to be the grown-up.

This time it's Madame Speaker. And I say hurray for her.

[glitch]

2. I just hope they aren't all flying on the same plane.

Waxman and Pelosi on one plane makes me very nervous. :scared:

[saltpoint]

3. Wouldn't surprise me if they ordered the pilot off on the tarmac and

flew the mission themselves.

Pelosi and Waxman are get-it-done folks. I hope the Syrians are prepared.

(I hear you... I always hope our people have safe passage. They aren't on that trip for frequent flyer miles; they're going for us because the Bush team's too stubborn to do its job.)

[MadMaddie]

4. Someone has to do the diplomacy.....and we know who won't be

doing it...

[Straight Shooter]

5. Didn't Seymour Hersch reveal that bush is funneling funds to the Sunnis via Saudi Arabia?

(Something like that; I've lost track of the specific facts.)

"This is a country that is a state sponsor of terror ..."

Excuse me, bush, your hypocrisy slip is showing. :eyes:

[onehandle]

6. White House criticizes peace

Not good for the business of fear.

[olddad56]

7. The WH is calling Syria a sponsor of terror. Were is a mirror?

[Rowdy Church]

8. No Foreign Policy Experience - Whodathunk

:sarcasm:
Well considering Dumbya had zero foreign policy experience and had not traveled outside the US to boot - well whodathunk he'd be so piss poor at diplomacy.
:sarcasm:

At don't even get me started on our so-called Sec-of-State :puke: Rice.

The Dems are making headway slowly but surely -- its not easy with such slim margins ... but at least they are making progress. I support Pelosi's approach so far and wish Reid would grow some hair on his balls.

It's going to take alot of hard work to get this country back on track after six years of destructive governance by Dumbya and the grand-ole-puke party.

How many more days till Jan 09?

Keep Kick'n butt Pelosi !!

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[MagickMuffin]

9. I posted something about this in GD article from Think Progress

Interesting fact concerning the reporting of this story which is the FACT that there are already Republicons over there right now. There will be a Republicon traveling with them as well.

Why do you think there is an omission of FACTS on this subject.???:shrug:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=545495&mesg_id=546303



http://thinkprogress.org/
Here’s what the White House isn’t talking about:

Republican Reps. Aderholt and Wolf are currently visiting Syria. According to a congressional official on Rep. Robert Aderholt’s (R-AL) staff, Aderholt and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) are currently visiting Israel and Syria.

[truthisfreedom]

10. Don't worry about Pelosi. She's flying with the military, undoubtedly.

Much too high a rank to fly any other way.

[whosinpower]

11. She is just following through

On what The Iraq Study group recommended. Remember? This is Bush's own people telling him and he ignores it--so Pelosi and co. pick up the slack and DO the job the White House should of been working at years ago.

[rodeodance]

12. Top US Democrat's planned visit to Syria angers White House

Source: afp




Top US Democrat's planned visit to Syria angers White House

by Olivier Knox
Sat Mar 31, 4:40 AM ET



WASHINGTON (AFP) - Aides to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) worked Saturday to prepare her groundbreaking visit to Syria that has sparked protests from the White House, officials said.


Syria's embassy in Washington hailed the proposed trip as "momentous" and expressed hopes it may change sorely strained relations with the United States, even as the White House denounced the visit as "a really bad idea" undermining US policy.

The State Department tried and failed to convince Pelosi, who will be the highest-ranking US official to visit Syria in years, to cancel the visit, which is expected to take place next week.

It then asked her to carry a "strong message" to Damascus, officials said.

"They should end their support for Palestinian rejectionist groups, take a constructive stance vis-a-vis Lebanon, and obviously do what they can to help support Iraq," said spokesman Sean McCormack.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070331/wl_mideast_afp/usmideastsyriapelosi_070331084004;_ylt=AkAh75XRKrrIjqnQoTzTF7QZO7gF

[bemildred]

13. Ms Pelosi is "the decider" too.

Get used to it.

[KittyWampus]

14. She's also the 'Grown Up'.

[texpatriot2004]

15. Tell the White House to go Cheney themselves nm

[Bonhomme Richard]

16. They are afraid Syria will tell the Dems................

what's been really going on with the administration.

[Rose Siding]

17. No problem with the REPUBLICAN Reps who are in Syria RIGHT NOW???

snip>
Not only are the administration’s attacks on Pelosi hypocritical, but the timing suggests they are a partisan hit. ThinkProgress has learned that a delegation of Republicans is currently in Syria. (This has not been previously reported by the press.) Why did the White House wait until Pelosi’s imminent visit to raise this issue publicly, and not make mention of the Republicans already there?

Here’s what the White House isn’t talking about:

Republican Reps. Aderholt and Wolf are currently visiting Syria. According to a congressional official on Rep. Robert Aderholt’s (R-AL) staff, Aderholt and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) are currently visiting Israel and Syria......

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/30/syria-hypocrisy/

[Sparkly]

18. Wow. That makes me think something's up.

I've always wondered about the fighting on the border with Iraq, and whether our troops have gone into Syria.

[youngdem]

23. Yep. They got about 20 months to get the PNAC war trinity going - Iran, Iraq, Syria

Then, the Middle East will be all Israel's for the taking and we get endless oil.

Or so the delusion goes.



"Nancy going over there creating diplomatic back channels for Syria to communicate with real grown ups when we've spent six years agitating for war at the front door poses far too great a risk to our planned war", said unnamed Bush officials.

[MethuenProgressive]

19. WH wants her to say what she already planned to say?

It then asked her to carry a "strong message" to Damascus, officials said.

"They should end their support for Palestinian rejectionist groups, take a constructive stance vis-a-vis Lebanon, and obviously do what they can to help support Iraq," said spokesman Sean McCormack.

Like she wasn't going already say similar things... :eyes:
I expect the diffence between her visit and the Repubs is she'll also
do some listening to what they have to say.

[Renew Deal]

20. I'd rather us deliver a "strong message" than deliver none at all.

This is the 21st century. Things aren't perfect in the world. Syria has problems, but we all have problems. There's nothing wrong with talking. Maybe even something good can come out of it. What's the worst thing that will happen? We'll hate eachother? Things can only get better.

[MasonJar]

21. Hey, W, everything that you do angers me; all of it is "a very bad idea."

[agincourt]

22. Frankly I think the key to peace,

would have been a Kerry victory in 2004. He would have made Iran, Turkey, and Syria partners in trying to limit the Iraqi insurgency. Simply securing the borders would have helped a lot. A Bush theft in 2004 removed the chance of a tolerable ending in Iraq.