Comments on George Ajjan | Official Website: The pitch vails in Damascus

I must share this hilarious feedback I received fr...

2007-04-30T07:15:42.835-04:00

I must share this hilarious feedback I received from a family friend by email:

I agree totally. Pelosi should go back to promoting rights of the homeless in San Francisco. She's totally out of her milieu in the foreign policy arena, especially the complicated Middle East. Put a tether on her now!

A few thoughts:The reason no one made a tremendous...

2007-04-06T14:06:07.371-04:00

A few thoughts:

The reason no one made a tremendous deal over the GOP congressmen who traveled to Syria in the days prior to Nancy Pelosi is because (1) they are not Speaker of the House and (2) they were on, as you put it, a simple fact finding mission, which all House and Senate members are entitled to.

Nancy Pelosi is a disgrace. You give her too much credit claiming that she represents 600,000 Northern Californians. She only represents the lunatics in San Francisco who vote her into office every two years. Her trip to Syria was solely to spit in Bush’s eye. She did not go to learn anything new. Her mind is already made up (Bush & U.S. = BAD; Everyone else = GOOD) Pelosi, and many of her Democrat ilk, seem to be under the impression that they know more about foreign policy than the Executive Branch, the State Department, and the Defense Department, who are Constitutionally charged with that responsibility.

This is no different than her attempt to set arbitrary troop withdrawal deadlines. Whether you agree with the Iraq War or not, NOWHERE in the U.S. Constitution is Congress charged with making war policy or deciding who the U.S. chooses to have diplomatic relations with. The only responsibility they have is to declare war and to fund/de-fund military operations as they see fit. That’s it.

Pelosi may not like the Bush Administration’s foreign policies. That’s tough. We have enough problems domestically which she and the Democrats do have the Constitutional authority to address (not that they’ll do what’s best for the nation mind you, but that’s another post entirely).

Pelosi can wrap herself in the veil of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Commission Report all she wants. President Bush is commander in chief. Until January 2009, that’s the way it is. Pelosi needs to be made to understand and accept that and move on. If one of her Democrat friends is elected President, perhaps she’ll be made Secretary of State. Then she can parade around the globe all she likes for photo opportunities with any dictator she chooses. Until then she should butt out.

Interesting post. What I don't like is that Pelosi...

2007-04-06T02:09:04.245-04:00

Interesting post. What I don't like is that Pelosi, not in words, but in body language, seems to be pretending to be head of government on this trip, which she is not. If she wants to run for President, that is her right, but until then she needs to tread a little more lightly.

I hope nobody holds any illusions about the "human...

2007-04-06T00:37:30.130-04:00

I hope nobody holds any illusions about the "humanitarianism" of Pelosi's visit to Damascus. Her visit confirms what we have already known about "human rights" in American policy for decades. American politicians only talk about human rights in countries to which they are hostile. When it comes to countries they wish to have some form of cooperation with, there is an obvious silence. I would have hoped that Pelosi brought up concern over political prisoners in Syria, but I would also hope that she did not attempt to make any momentous proclamations regarding "human rights"--this, I think, only cheapens the currency. I hope the idea that America is a "beacon" in this sad world will be discarded by democracy activists, if only for the reason that it will leave us better equipped to actually deal effectively on the political scene.

That said, Bush's policy of non-engagement has been disastrous for this world and if popular discontent with the war wasn't going to stop him, somebody had to, even if it was only the symbolism of this meeting that could perhaps have done it. I hope that this leads to more positive circumstances for the people in both countries. And, hopefully, without the specter of international hostility looming over Syria, a safer and larger space can be created for the domestic opposition in Syria.

As for America, I hope it stops. Really, its track record for liberation is tragic. I wish the Lebanese had given up on America when they saw themselves America's unwillingness to save them from Israeli bombs. Never mind, though, they will never realize that their problems come from within the country, not from without, even if the latter exacerbates the former.

And all this about sending a "unified message" as a country to the rest of the world--what an antiquated idea! Come on, it's 2007, and there's no good in pretending to unify if you are not, especially when it comes at the expense of ignoring injustice.