The New York Times reports that she visited Syria "with a high-level group of lawmakers including Henry Waxman [of California]" (who also rocks, by the way - I've been sending him letters for years and always get a response back about his efforts in that area). They met with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
It's exciting enough to have a female Speaker of the House, the third-ranking elected official in the United States after the president and the vice president, but now she's basically advocating a different approach to diplomacy in the Middle East. She's showing the world that we are a complex government and President Bush doesn't speak for all Americans.
A side-by-side comparison of their views from the article:
PELOSI “expressed concern about Syria’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas,” to Assad and “expressed our interest in using our good offices in promoting peace between Israel and Syria.”
BUSH said the visit sent mixed signals to the Middle East and to President Assad’s government.
PELOSI and many other Democrats, as well as some Republicans, have spoken often in recent months about the value of increasing dialogue with Syria as a way to improve stability in the region.
BUSH told reporters that he saw little point in talking to Syria now. “Sending delegations hasn’t worked,” he said. “It’s just simply been counterproductive.”
A bureau chief for a leftist Damascus newspaper said "Pelosi’s approach represents a more practical policy; the administration’s policy over the last few years has been based on demands and ideology."
A shopkeeper in downtown Damascus summed it up perfectly: "She views the world through a different perspective than Bush. She’s more open-minded.”
See? Rockstar.
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