Did Pelosi give Assad the wrong message from Israel?
posted at 6:31 pm on April 4, 2007 by Allahpundit
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I was skeptical when I first saw Gateway Pundit’s post, but if he’s wrong then why is the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issuing formal clarifications of what Olmert said to her a few days ago? Quote:
The Prime Minister emphasized that although Israel is interested in peace with Syria, that country continues to be part of the axis of evil and a force that encourages terror in the entire Middle East.
In order to conduct serious and genuine peace negotiations, Syria must cease its support of terror, cease its sponsoring of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations, refrain from providing weapons to Hizbוullah and bringing about the destabilizing of Lebanon, cease its support of terror in Iraq, and relinquish the strategic ties it is building with the extremist regime in Iran…
What was communicated to the U.S. House Speaker does not contain any change in the policies of Israel, as was communicated to other foreign leaders.
It’s that middle paragraph that’s key. No peace talks until the terror stops. Absolute precondition. Now here’s how Pelosi described what she said to Assad today, via Gateway Pundit:
“[Our] meeting with the president enabled us to communicate a message from Prime Minister [Ehud] Olmert that Israel was ready to engage in peace talks,” Pelosi told reporters in Damascus after talks with Assad.
Pelosi said Assad in turn assured her of his willingness to engage in peace talks with Israel.
“We were very pleased with the assurances we received from the president that he was ready to resume the peace process,” Pelosi said. “He’s ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel.”
An Israeli government official said that was not the message Olmert had asked Pelosi earlier this week to convey to Assad, who seeks the return of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
“The prime minister said Israel is interested in peace with Syria, but Syria would first have to abandon the path of terror and providing support for terrorist groups,” the official said, in reference to Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The left aren’t exactly hard bargainers when it comes to terrorism, but I can’t believe she’d purposely omit a prerequisite as crucial as that in conveying the offer to Assad. Particularly given that it’s an offer from Israel, to whom the Democrats are anxious to prove they’re every bit as strong an ally as Republicans. Which means either she bungled the offer unintentionally, out of sheer, royal stupidity, or she didn’t bungle it at all and there’s simply been a miscommunication somewhere. I’ve got to believe it’s the latter. For all her faults, Pelosi isn’t stupid.
The AP adds a bit that mitigates it somewhat:
“We were very pleased with the assurances we received from the president that he was ready to resume the peace process. He’s ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel,” Pelosi said.
She said the delegation conveyed to Assad “the importance of Syria’s role with Hamas in promoting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
That’s a fine start, but it’s not nearly as comprehensive as the preconditions listed in the PMO’s clarification. Nor does it even clearly state that it was presented to Assad as a precondition rather than as something he might do as a conciliatory gesture to help the process along.
I don’t know what to think right now, but the JPost has perked up over this. Their article also contains this tidbit, which I hadn’t heard before:
The officials said Olmert had told Pelosi that he thought her trip to Damascus was a mistake, and that when she asked - nevertheless - whether he had a message for Assad, Olmert said Syria should first stop supporting terrorism and “act like a normal country,” and only then would Israel be willing to hold discussions.
The first part of that message, the officials said, was lost in what was reported from Damascus on Wednesday.
Exit question: Did Nancy botch the joke?
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Why is she even talking to either of them? Foreign policy is the preserve of the Executive Branch.
President Bush should be saying so.
First they want to be Commanders-in-Chief, now Secretarys-of-State.
What next?
Martin on April 4, 2007 at 6:34 PM
Martin
Il Duce?
Defector01 on April 4, 2007 at 6:35 PM
Links?
billy on April 4, 2007 at 6:40 PM
She may not be stupid but I think she is also willing to make Israel look bad.
bbz123 on April 4, 2007 at 6:42 PM
Greeeeeaaaatttt. Idiot.
amerpundit on April 4, 2007 at 6:46 PM
FNC’s “Special Report” covered this tonight as well.
Miss Face-lift of the year needs another decade or two of diplomatic training…
Zorro on April 4, 2007 at 6:47 PM
She isn’t stupid. She knows exactly what her goals are, and how she’s gonna get there. They’re just not good for America.
amerpundit on April 4, 2007 at 6:49 PM
Word on the street in Baltimore’s Little Italy more than occassionally contradicts that. And they’re proud of her.
Bryan on April 4, 2007 at 6:54 PM
Not enough cojones to deliver the message verbatim. I honestly believe she heard what she wanted to and communicated what she wanted to for her won political grandstanding. Israel has an opportunity to play with Pelosi, and discourage any further attempts to legitimize countries the White House does not acknowledge. Foreign policy is not her job.
Theworldisnotenough on April 4, 2007 at 7:01 PM
Na, she a genius. A regular member of Mensa. Don’t “misunderestimate” her I tell ya. You’ll be sorry.
TheBigOldDog on April 4, 2007 at 7:05 PM
LOL
- The Cat
MirCat on April 4, 2007 at 7:11 PM
The Parent Trap school of diplomacy.
Sure, you have to fudge a little to trick Mom and Dad to the same hotel lobby on the same day, but if you can only maneuver them into the bar– boy, those old sparks of love are sure to be rekindled.
And yes, that is how I think she thinks.
a4g on April 4, 2007 at 7:11 PM
It go her a days worth of priceless good press, didn’t it?
Pam on April 4, 2007 at 7:13 PM
She is a freaking congressional representative for crying out loud! She represents the people in a relatively small area of California AND THAT’S IT!
She does NOT represent the rest of the U.S. and has no business whatsoever sticking her nose into foreign policy. Did she get permission to engage in these discussions from the President? I think not!
If the President had any balls at all he would have A.G. Gonzalez preparing charges and setting up the case for Grand Jury, serving Ms. Pelosi with a subpoena to testify before that Grand Jury as soon as she steps back onto American soil.
Fatal on April 4, 2007 at 7:15 PM
The full story on Little Italy is yet to be told/written. All in good time.
With the dems, if you eliminate the Jihad and WoT language, and if you wish for it to go away, and if you talk to the bad guys, then it is assumed to have vanished. Therefore, the next step is “peace with Israel”, and if Israel clarifies or backs out, it’s her fault.
Dumb or not dumb, joke or not joke, that’s their ‘reality’. The rest of us live on the ground.
Entelechy on April 4, 2007 at 7:17 PM
I agree that she is not stupid. I hasten to add that I do believe she is on a serious power trip as of late because she believes the Nov 7 election is her mandate to do as she pleases when it comes to foriegn policy. I believe she is seriously deluding herself on the lengths she can go before the MSM and the public hit their squeal point. The quest for power is a destructive force and many a smart person has fallen to it’s trappings.
Power trip? At her coronation her absolute giddiness and holding up the gavel like rosie the riviter. Her demand for a better airplane. Her behavior in passing the timeline/military spending bill. Last but not least, “Calm down with the threats, there’s a new Congress in town.”. I’m sure there are many more examples.
csdeven on April 4, 2007 at 7:20 PM
Isn’t this a standard sitcom plot? Two feuding parties and a go-between that deliberately miscommunicates between the two so that they are forced to resolve their differences by the end of the show…
Episodes of Gilligan’s Island and Gidget should not be templates for foreign policy initiatives.
rw on April 4, 2007 at 7:23 PM
You’re a great guy AP - this one you might have “misoverestimated”, as our President might say…
Street smarts, not even book smarts dictate that you don’t go to Syria and wear a scarf as the first femelle Leader of the U.S. House…for starters on foreign policy…never mind the other faux pas, and the term is young…
Entelechy on April 4, 2007 at 7:24 PM
I think you’re the only one here that can’t.
spmat on April 4, 2007 at 7:26 PM
Is there a requirement to be stupid to do stupid stuff?
News2Use on April 4, 2007 at 7:29 PM
Gee, I though Olmert asked herto give a message to Assad.
ctmom on April 4, 2007 at 7:30 PM
Nancy isn’t stupid. She did not misspeak. She meant every word that she said and every word that she intentianaly left out.
Liberal foreign policy requires the Israeli people to sue for the sake of peace with their neighbors. Nothing is required of Arab states in return.
Every cloud has a silver lining and this visit by Pelosi, though ill-advised, has given us a glimpse into how the Dems will conduct foreign policy once they take charge of the Executive branch.
CliffHanger on April 4, 2007 at 7:32 PM
oops! I intended to spell “intentionally”.
CliffHanger on April 4, 2007 at 7:34 PM
Answer to exit question: I don’t know if she botched anything (meaning who knows what her intent was), but she’s certainly f**king things up, and is damn close to crossing a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
I understand that this story may not have appealed to AP folks, but I hope you understand it’s importance… I wouldn’t even have known about it, had I not seen a debate on Fox & Friends this morning… but apparently there was a difference in Pelosi’s visit, and the visit by the 3 GOP congreesmen last week.
State run newspapers reported that those congressmen were firmly in the President’s camp, and went so far as to write this:
Yeah, they were tough with Syria and it pissed them off… They’ve loved every minute of Pelosi’s visit, and have pimped her out like the partisan hooker she is.
Here’s what I wrote to AP earlier, take away from it what you will:
You’ve all undoubtedly seen Pelosi on TV today saying that she didn’t divert from the President’s script, but first of all… do you believe her? Secondly, she gave no indication that she stood firm by the President’s position. She was used here, and it’s disgusting… though she seems to have managed to barely stay within her rights.
RightWinged on April 4, 2007 at 7:36 PM
Nan is just adding a little SanFran “Ain’t gonna study war no more” twist to Olmerts statements. I think csdeven is right:
She really thinks she has an absolute mandate to do whatever she thinks is the right move on any front.
eeyore on April 4, 2007 at 7:46 PM
I’m beginning to agree with RightWinged that senior Democrats are basically evil. A poster on another site recommended I read Gramsci and things are starting to make sense.
aengus on April 4, 2007 at 7:56 PM
Did she bring a big trunk full of sea shells to prove her great conquest?
Under definition of delusions of grandeur see..P e l o s i.
Let’s see how much of a free pass the networks give her.
When volunteers act out of their ability zone, this is what you get. Assad must be having a laugh riot about now.
Speakup on April 4, 2007 at 8:12 PM
It could be argued that it is the height of stupidity to meddle in affairs constitutionally delegated to the executive branch of the government. Power-greedy, of course. But stupid if one doesn’t believe that the break down of the checks and blanaces that have served this ocuntry well for over 200 years won’t have long-term, corrosive effects on the foundations of this country. Well, pure evil is the other option. Someone willing to undermind US Constitutional structures should not be trusted to respect anything Israel might say or want.
Second, anyone want to bet that the Dems will use this little outing to declare that their version of governance and negotiations was responsible for the release of the Brit sailors? A little ploy that Iran would be delighted to be part of, in an attempt to humiliate Pres Bush? England of course becomes a bit player of no consequence in this “scene stealer.”
naliaka on April 4, 2007 at 8:15 PM
Wouldn’t be surprised… The Dems and the enemy have been tag teaming us for years.
RightWinged on April 4, 2007 at 8:21 PM
…
AP, you do realise that there are some key consepts you are forgetting.
#1 Logical but based on a flawed premise.
#2 Intelligent but Ill-informed.
#3 Intelligent, but willfully ignorant.
#4 Intelligent but Naive.
#5 Stupid, but more intelligent than __________
#6 Intelligent but lacking Common Sense.
#7 Theoretically sound, but impossible in application.
So given that these are the posibilities I have to describe Pelosi, (OR any of the other “surrender monkeys”…) off the top of my head in less than 2 minutes….
There are so many ways that someone who is not “Stupid” per se can do somthing incredibly stupid.
Jones Zemkophill on April 4, 2007 at 8:21 PM
I concur with the opinoin of Jones Zemkophill that what Pelosi did was incredibly stupid. Whether she is in general stupid is beside the point. What really matters is whether she does and says incredibly stupid things. That she does.
Phil Byler on April 4, 2007 at 8:27 PM
Stupid is as stupid does … harm to foreign policy objectives of a sitting president in a time of war.
Somebody please tell me, why do Jews come out in droves and vote for Democrats? It’s not 1948 anymore, is it?
fogw on April 4, 2007 at 8:42 PM
WTF is this dimwit doing engaging in foreign policy at all? Is this just an extension of Howard Dean’s axis of idiocy?
I honestly think this moron assumed no one would be able to cross-reference her statements to Ass-wad against what Olmert really said.
They lied about not cutting funding to the boys in Iraq. Does anyone think they wouldn’t twist the dialog to get to some temporary break-through in the Israel-Syria impasse?
Here’s a new chant: Pelosi lied; Israelis died!
SailorDave on April 4, 2007 at 8:57 PM
Not stupid, but neither she nor any other member of Congress has any reason to perform the duties of a diplomat.
The real hypocrisy is that she is abusing the same Constitutional liberties that the Democratic leadership has been taking the Bush admin to task for over the last 5 years.
She’s out of her damn mind with ego.
SouthernDem on April 4, 2007 at 9:06 PM
I wish their was something “we the people” could do. Some sort of redress or court where “we the people” could pass formal charges against Pelosi as over stepping her constitutionaly mandated bounds. I wish “we the people” could hold her deplorable actions accountable. I wish “we the people” was more then just lip service to the democrats thirst for power.
Wyrd on April 4, 2007 at 9:13 PM
I can’t believe she put a scarf over her head. She emabarasses this country but more so herself. Too bad she is too stupid and full of herself to see that.
I think that the Syrians and the rest of that bunch are laughing their a$$es off. I can see why they are so encouraged to continue their Jihad.
Doesn’t she remember “United we stand, divided we fall”? This country is going to fall if the Democrats win in 2008!
CCRWM on April 4, 2007 at 9:19 PM
The correct question is: Is Nancy a botox joke?
Kini on April 4, 2007 at 9:35 PM
B b b but we voted her in for her foreign policy experience, to run foreign policy for the evil Bushoco which has screwed everything up!
her brains are evidently made out of silicone and are sitting embedded in her frickin chest.
What a jackass.
benrand on April 4, 2007 at 9:50 PM
Talks between Syria and San Francisco broke down today when dictator Assad realized that not only did San Francisco not have the authority it claimed, but that it might not even be capable of delivering “Israel to your doorstep.”
“Somebody is going to get a wall pushed over on them for this!” Assad is rumored to have said when told the representative from San Fransisco did not actually represent all of the United States, or, for that matter, all of one of the states.
Merovign on April 4, 2007 at 9:51 PM
the GLH will never be given up by the Israelis with out a fight, it’s a defensive location that gives to much power to an adversary that is far to untrustworthy. and the Syrian government will never give up the request. thus the thorn is set. one thorn of many in the sandal of the middle east. Syria is a rouge nation. it, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, France… all nations who snub their nose at common sense and forward motion, to try in vain to hold on to some small bit of power and recognition… I think that all this attention we give the spoiled child only make him act out more, he should just have his corporal punishment and sent to his room, and not given a podium from which to spout lies.
Kaptain Amerika on April 4, 2007 at 9:59 PM
Nah, you all don’t get it…
Ever had an arguement with someone emotionaly commited to an arguement? They have the ability to hear ONLY what they want to hear.
He said, “yea, we’ll talk to them when they become reasonable”….
She truly heard “yea, we’ll talk to the them” and her brain edited the rest. I’ll bet if you ask her, she does NOT remember hearing the rest of it.
This is the problem with politics today IMO… most of the participants are way to emotionaly commited to their various ideaologies…. and I include Rabid Right as well as Brain Dead left in this.
Romeo13 on April 4, 2007 at 10:20 PM
Pelosi isn’t stupid. She told Assad exactly what Pelosi ‘demands’ from the Israeli government. Her ‘there is a New Congress in Town’ applies to them too. She has the gavel and she intends to use it!
Golda would have shoved her in the mortar tube and sent her to Damascus par-avon.
Limerick on April 4, 2007 at 10:27 PM
Aaaaaahhhhhhh, I gotta disagree on this one with you Allah.
To the point, Nancy Pelosi is believing her own press. Syria, Iran, and AQ are masters of the press. They worked her like a $2.00 whore (not to insult $2.00 whores)…..
I wouldn’t be surprised, while in close company, she gave up National Secrets because she wanted to hurt President Bush, not thinking of the consequences to American Soldiers, we will see.
In the end, she had no concept, that in Syria, she was surrounded by men, who brought up through the intelligence ranks, learned the fine techniques of torture, rape, and media manipulation. They are Masters of the craft.
These guys were probably saying in Farci in her ear shot, “Would you rape her?”, “Well, only if I HAD to…. what’s with all the blinking?”
This one is going to come back and sting her, the Democrats, and unfortunately, the United States. I will lay good money down on it……..
There is reason we only have one (1) Commander in Chief, and Nancy Pelosi is demonstrating why….
PinkyBigglesworth on April 4, 2007 at 11:10 PM
I can. When Israel refuses to meet with Syria because there are still constant terror attacks, Syria can proclaim, “Liars! You told the Americans you wanted peace talks! Now MORE terrorism, you Zionist pigs!” Then U.N. and “world community” will once again condemn Israel as “aggressors.”
The Democrats NEED conflict between Israel and the Arab world. More Middle East unrest = Bush looks bad = more votes for Democrats. As the UK/Iran hostage situation proves, everything bad that happens in the world, especially in the Middle East, is blamed on the evil cowboy Americans and BOOOSH!
mojojojo on April 5, 2007 at 12:09 AM
Isn’t she?
Jen the Neocon on April 5, 2007 at 4:52 AM
Isn’t this what our elected representatives should be doing. By elected representatives I mean THE REPUBLICANS.
Where are they? Where do theY stand on this action by Pelosi?
Better yet…WHY HAVEN’T WE HEARD FROM THEM???
Golfer_75093 on April 5, 2007 at 8:42 AM
That mental image made me chuckle. :-)
csdeven on April 5, 2007 at 8:44 AM
She just got slammed by the WaPo. What an arrogant fool.
WisCon on April 5, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Nancy needs to stick to what she does best - attempting to make San Francisco the socialist mecca of the U.S. She is now trying to play with the big boys, and getting her a$$ handed to her. I just heard on Laura Ingraham’s show that militant groups like Islamic Jihad are backing her…nice.
Rick on April 5, 2007 at 12:24 PM
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1173879247562&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
PMO denies peace message to Assad
lol, Nancy’s get hung out to dry.
Kai on April 5, 2007 at 2:06 PM
Oh now you people are being unduly harsh on Bella LaPelosi. She made an honest mistake. She told Assad that Israel was ready to begin the peace process. But what Olmert actually told her was that Israel was ready to break Syria into itty bitty pieces; a process that should take about 5 minutes. See? She wasn’t taking notes and she remembered most of what was said. Anyone could make a mistake like that.
Khyber Pass on April 5, 2007 at 4:55 PM