Pelosi's Visit to Syria raises questions about an opposition party's role in foreign affairs
U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's visit to Syria this week raises questions about an opposition party's role in foreign affairs.
During her Syrian tours, "Pelosi (news, bio, voting record from Yahoo) toured the old city of Damascus," "mingled with Syrians in a market and made the sign of the cross at a Christian tomb," (Associated Press via theday.com), and "visited Saudi Arabia's unelected advisory council, the closest thing in the kingdom to a legislature, and tried out her counterpart's chair — a seat no Saudi woman can have because women cannot be lawmakers" (the L.A. Times). And all this in an apparent effort to bolster peace talks, fight global terrorism, and frustrate the Bush Administration.
Pelosi actions have sparked a variety of reactions. "President Bush criticized the trip, saying it sends mixed signals to the Syrian leadership," according to the April 4, 2007 issue of Investor's Business Daily. Pelosi's team have argued that it is a representative's right to visit foreign countries and generally tried to deflect the President's concerns by pointing out that Republicans had recently visited Syria (although one might assume that Republicans would be sending a message similar to a Republican president). Bush haters have praised the trip and hailed to opportunity for more reasonable relations with Syria.
All of this aside, Pelosi's trip leads me to ask several questions about what exactly is an opposition leaders responsibility or role where foreign affairs are concerned. Here is some of what I am thinking.
Should an opposition leader ever visit a foreign nation and potential support programs, relations, or ideas which differ from the dominate party's position? Well, some might say "yes." I even thought as much at first. Ah, but what about when the foreign nation in question is an enemy? Again, some, even many would be inclined to say yes. For an example, if, God forbid, some future U.S. President considered Israel to be our enemy, and I were the leader of the political party opposing that president (or even a member of that President's own party), I would certainly go straight away to Israel and do my best to insure them that not all Americans saw them as hostile. So one could argue that I must then be inclined to say that what Pelosi has done is, in fact, reasonable in the sense that she is doing what any opposition leader might or even should do, or is it?
Is my example, Israel, really the moral or political equivalent to Syria. Well no. Israel is a free country, with a government for the people, by the people, etc. and Syria is a terrorist supporting dictatorship which violates human rights like a fat lady eats Krispy Kremes. So that I would agrue that it is not so much of an issue that an opposition leader visit a foreign nation or even that an opposition leader express, when opposing positions when in that nation, but where the line between expressing a different worldview ends and granting aid and comfort to an enemy government begins.
Pelosi, visited the advisory cancel, the folks which help to rule one of the world's most productive terrorist training grounds, namely Syria. "Washington estimates that up to 90 percent of suicide bombers in Iraq enter the country via Syria, which has not acted to stop this flow of attackers" (Reuters via IOL.co.za via the Vary Blog on IndyStar.com).
Related blog posts:
President Pelosi?
Nancy Pelosi Submits to Islam in Syria
Nancy Pelosi's Terrorist-palooza Tour
During her Syrian tours, "Pelosi (news, bio, voting record from Yahoo) toured the old city of Damascus," "mingled with Syrians in a market and made the sign of the cross at a Christian tomb," (Associated Press via theday.com), and "visited Saudi Arabia's unelected advisory council, the closest thing in the kingdom to a legislature, and tried out her counterpart's chair — a seat no Saudi woman can have because women cannot be lawmakers" (the L.A. Times). And all this in an apparent effort to bolster peace talks, fight global terrorism, and frustrate the Bush Administration.
Pelosi actions have sparked a variety of reactions. "President Bush criticized the trip, saying it sends mixed signals to the Syrian leadership," according to the April 4, 2007 issue of Investor's Business Daily. Pelosi's team have argued that it is a representative's right to visit foreign countries and generally tried to deflect the President's concerns by pointing out that Republicans had recently visited Syria (although one might assume that Republicans would be sending a message similar to a Republican president). Bush haters have praised the trip and hailed to opportunity for more reasonable relations with Syria.
All of this aside, Pelosi's trip leads me to ask several questions about what exactly is an opposition leaders responsibility or role where foreign affairs are concerned. Here is some of what I am thinking.
Should an opposition leader ever visit a foreign nation and potential support programs, relations, or ideas which differ from the dominate party's position? Well, some might say "yes." I even thought as much at first. Ah, but what about when the foreign nation in question is an enemy? Again, some, even many would be inclined to say yes. For an example, if, God forbid, some future U.S. President considered Israel to be our enemy, and I were the leader of the political party opposing that president (or even a member of that President's own party), I would certainly go straight away to Israel and do my best to insure them that not all Americans saw them as hostile. So one could argue that I must then be inclined to say that what Pelosi has done is, in fact, reasonable in the sense that she is doing what any opposition leader might or even should do, or is it?
Is my example, Israel, really the moral or political equivalent to Syria. Well no. Israel is a free country, with a government for the people, by the people, etc. and Syria is a terrorist supporting dictatorship which violates human rights like a fat lady eats Krispy Kremes. So that I would agrue that it is not so much of an issue that an opposition leader visit a foreign nation or even that an opposition leader express, when opposing positions when in that nation, but where the line between expressing a different worldview ends and granting aid and comfort to an enemy government begins.
Pelosi, visited the advisory cancel, the folks which help to rule one of the world's most productive terrorist training grounds, namely Syria. "Washington estimates that up to 90 percent of suicide bombers in Iraq enter the country via Syria, which has not acted to stop this flow of attackers" (Reuters via IOL.co.za via the Vary Blog on IndyStar.com).
Related blog posts:
President Pelosi?
Nancy Pelosi Submits to Islam in Syria
Nancy Pelosi's Terrorist-palooza Tour
posted by Armando at
4/06/2007 11:01:00 AM
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