Tea With the Despot of Damascus
April 7th, 2007 | by Omnipotent Poobah |
Congressional cat herder, Nancy Pelosi, visited the Middle East this week. Sporting a festive new do-rag, she visited Israel for a chit-chat with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before going on to visit Syrian strongman, Bashir Assad.
The visit prompted calls to fire departments across the nation to peel conservatives off their ceilings. They believe La Nance has set up a shadow State Department. They see her trip as one branch of government unfairly meddling in the province of another - a little like Rummy’s intramural plan to set up a shadow intelligence shop to replace inconvenient CIA reports. They do have a point, conducting foreign policy is a Presidential prerogative and in a normal situation, freelance Condies usually cause more harm than good.
However, times ain’t normal.
Nancy Takes Tea
We have a President with a head made of finely polished mahogany and a Veep whose grasp on reality is like a single bruised finger holding a free climber to a Grand Canyon wall. To get either one off their thumb-in-ass merry-go-round takes desperate measures and in light of that, afternoon tea with Assad seems a pretty limp-wristed encouragement, regardless of whether you take one lump or two. There’s nothing illegal about her visit. Freelance peacemakers are a cottage industry manned by officials and civilians alike. In fact, many administrations choose to outsource this sort of behind the scenes diplomacy. The only thing different about Pelosi’s visit is that Blackwater and Halliburton didn’t profit on the outsourcing contract.
Despite Big Dick’s claims that her visit unravels his carefully laid plans for flower-choked Middle Eastern democracies - and word to Dick…that boat already sailed - the visit probably won’t amount to much except a few conservatives visiting Walter Reed in the last throes of advanced hypertension. Nancy knows she has no fiat to make policy and Assad knows it too. That doesn’t excuse grandstanding, but at the end of the day, can things be any worse on the diplomatic front? Whatever damage Pelosi could cause at this point pales by comparison to Shrub’s tsunami of ineptitude.
Bipartisan Freelance Diplomacy
Shooter calling Nancy a “bad actor” - apparently confusing her with Fred Thompson - is more than a little disingenuous. He and the rest of the 101st Fightin’ Keyboardists forget - like memory-challenged Gonzos in mid-testimony - one small fact. The visit was bipartisan. Five republicans accompanied the six democrats and presumably they were at the talks and equally unlicensed to operate diplomacy in a Middle Eastern zone. If not, perhaps they left Nancy to do the dirty work and went for a boondoggle to help Walnuts McCain shop for rugs in a cozy and safe Baghdad market. Lindsey Graham says there are some ass-kickin’ deals over there.
The administration also conveniently forgets to besmirch loyal republicans and close friends who muck around in their foreign policy playpen. I’m sure defrocked Ambassador John Bolton poking his mustache into the US/Saudi alliance is as dangerous as Nancy having tea with the Despot from Damascus. Perhaps Bolton’s audacity has merely struck the wingnuts speechless for a change - even ace bloviator Rush This is Your Brain on Drugs Limbaugh has nothing to say about that.
Knock, Knock
Yes, in a perfect world there would be no reason that others shouldn’t stay off the President’s foreign policy freeway. We should have a capable leader conduct foreign policy consistent with common sense and the will of the people . But, we don’t.
“Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“I don’t remember.”
Cross Posted at The Omnipotent Poobah Speaks!
[tag]politics, humor, pelosi, diplomacy, crapweasels, omnipotent+poobah, bring+it+on[/tag]
9 Responses to “Tea With the Despot of Damascus”
By Liberal Jarhead on Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
You can’t interfere with the executive branch’s diplomatic efforts if there aren’t any to interfere with.
By manapp99 on Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
Regardless of how you feel about the present administration and foreign policy, you have to worry about precedent for future (possibly Democrat) presidents ability to deal with other countries if members of congress go loose cannon around the world. What if Hillary wins in 08, Pelosi just set her up for the same treatment. Washington has demonstrated that “pay back” is acceptable policy.
By Tom Harper on Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
“peel conservatives off their ceilings” LOL. I can’t believe the mass hissyfit the Right is having over Pelosi’s trip to Syria. And like you said, they’re all ignoring the five Republicans who accompanied her.
That picture of Pelosi sure is making the rounds among rightwing bloggers. Like it or not, Moslems — they’re even more prudish than Fundamentalists and Evangelicals — are offended by any exposed body part, including long hair. I don’t share that view, but when you’re in Rome… Presumably she was just adapting to local customs (a totally unknown concept among most American tourists).
By 4Truth on Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
Steve - “precedent for future”. There should NEVER be another President Loser, Moron, Asshole GWB stolen election again. The American people definitely got BUSH-Whacked with a DICK. Put them both together and America got F**ked by the FOOL and GWB followers.
By Omnipotent Poobah on Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
LJ,
You got that right. That’s what I was alluding to when I said she couldn’t muck things up any more than they already are.
Manapp,
I’m not so much worried about precedent because that was set long ago. Freelancers have been noodling in foreign policy for ages and the presence of the republicans on this trip demonstrates it’s a bipartisan noodling.
As far as payback, the precedent was set for that long ago too.
I guess my view was this isn’t anything new from either party and while the potential for great harm exists, this particular trip probably isn’t doing much but pissing off the administration.
Tom,
I guess the hysteria comes all with the territory when you use it so often you being to believe it yourself.
4Truth,
I hate to say this, but I’m sure it will happen again someday.
By steve on Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
manapp’s name is Steve too? What the hell? I should sell my rights to “Steve’s Blog”
I think Pelosi should wear that head dress all the time. It really proves what she really is: The Enemy.
Happy Easter everyone…
By tammara on Apr 7, 2007 | Reply
what a bunch of fucking rightwing nutjobs. it wasn’t as if she was wearina a burka or anything. jesus in a thong. it was just a head scarf.
and all sorts of folks have been doing independent foreign policy shit for a long time.
4- i hate to say it… but the next one is likely to be just as fucked up as this one. americans have finally brought themselves to the tyranny of the mediocre.
By Liberal Jarhead on Apr 8, 2007 | Reply
So people who wear head scarves like that (which covers devout Moslems and also some Orthodox Jews) are the enemy?
When did Moslems in general become the enemy? If we take that attitude we’re screwed - we should be trying to improve our relations with the majority of Moslems who are not extremists.
By steve on Apr 8, 2007 | Reply
No just Pelosi. Try not to read something into more than what I said.
Okay?