The office of the House minority leader issued a scathing statement Wednesday night saying her meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was part of a bipartisan effort — conducted through the Bush administration — to encourage peace in the region and accusing the Republicans of launching a “desperate” defense of their Iran letter to mask criticisms coming from both sides of the aisle.
 
“The desperate hyperventilation by Republicans and conservative talkers over the intense, national backlash to this letter has caused them to search for a Democratic equivalent to the dangerous precedent set by 47 Republican Senators,” said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. “The fact is, there is simply not one.”