"We came because we believe there is an opportunity for dialogue. We are following in the lead of Ronald Reagan, who reached out to the Soviets during the Cold War." - Republican delegation in Syria
Oh, and let's not forget Nixon going to China while we're at it.
If you want to break things apart, call a Republican. If you want to wage war they're your team. Because, let's face it, that's all they can do, though they end up botching that, too.
But if you want to fix things call a Democrat. If you want diplomacy that is more than mere shuttle diplomacy from Bush's war princess, ask a Democrat, because it takes a Democrat to get these things done.
Via TPM, it's exactly what I said yesterday about Pelosi's visit to Syria, only it's deeper than I even thought. The Israelis are sending a message with her to bring to Bashar Assad.
Following his visit to the forces in the field, a decision was made to publicly address the concerns of a possible deterioration with the Syrians, and to send a message that Israel has no intention of attacking Syria, nor is there any coordinated plan with the U.S. for a joint attack against Iran.
The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus today, and will deliver a message of calm from Israel.
"We hope the message will be understood," political sources in Israel said yesterday. "The question is whether Assad is looking for an excuse ... so that he can carry out an attack against Israel in the summer, or whether this is a mistaken assessment."
Pelosi visited Israel yesterday and told her Israeli interlocutors that the country must speak with Assad and that the door should not be closed to Syria, even though she is aware that Syria supports terrorism and continued cooperation with Iran.The Democratic congresswoman was critical of the Republican administration's policy of boycotting Damascus.
Her statements hinted that if the Democrats regained control of the White House in 2008, they will work toward renewing dialogue with Syria. ... ..
No one has to guess why Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wants Syria to understand that they want no war. After last year's debacle with Lebanon, Olmert can't afford another excursion into carnage. His government would collapse. But I believe it also puts him at odds for the first time with Mr. Bush, who wants to keep our enemies innumerable, while our friends disappear. Remember what just happened with the Saudis? Has a U.S. president ever been more isolated, more irrelevant?
Speaker Pelosi has a lot planned for this trip, which today takes her to Saudi Arabia. Via email yesterday, I received a partial agenda:
- The bipartisan delegation intends to discuss a wide range of security issues affecting the United States and the Middle East with representatives of governments in the region, including Syria. The bipartisan delegation led by Speaker Pelosi will meet with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other government officials in Damascus this week.
- The delegation will stress to President Assad that President Bush and the Congress are united in fighting terrorism and that, if Syria is interested in being part of that effort, it must rethink its association with Iraq.
- The bipartisan delegation met with families of kidnapped Israeli soldiers. The delegation will also raise the issue of the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah and a third kidnapped by Hamas. Acting Israeli President and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik has expressed support for the Speaker's trip to Damascus.
- The bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended that the "United States should immediately launch a new diplomatic offensive to build an international consensus for stability in Iraq and the region. This diplomatic effort should include every country that has an interest in avoiding a chaotic Iraq, including all of Iraq's neighbors."
Let's also remember that three Republican Congressmen (Frank Wolf, Joe Pitts and Robert Aderholt), who met with the Syrian President the same day that Administration officials were criticizing the Speaker, got off without so much as a mention, while Speaker Pelosi's delegation got a slap from Junior. He was just afraid the speaker might get something done. It looks like she did, because she opened a dialogue and brought a message of peace from Mr. Olmert to Bashar Assad, something Mr. Bush and Condi the incompetent haven't come close to doing.
Oh, and what will Bush be doing today? He's on his way to Crawford no doubt to clear some brush. That's fine, because diplomacy really should be left to the grown ups. Yee-haw!