FLASHBACK: Hastert Traveled Abroad, Told Foreign Leaders Not To Listen To Clinton
FLASHBACK: Hastert Traveled Abroad, Told Foreign Leaders Not To Listen To Clinton
President Bush yesterday said Speaker Pelosi’s bipartisan delegation to Syria sends “mixed signals,” implying that Pelosi overstepped her bounds by merely visiting Syria.
Bush’s supporters have been repeating the argument:
Former ambassador John Bolton: “I would simply hope that people would understand that, under the Constitution, the president conducts foreign policy, not the speaker of the House.”
Former Gov. Mitt Romney: “It has long been the established principle of this country that the president of the United States leads our foreign policy. And if you don’t like the president, then you change him. But you don’t have the two parties each conducting foreign policy in the way they think it ought to be conducted.”
Speaker Pelosi has done nothing to suggest that she intended to speak on behalf of President Bush or the U.S. Government. But her predecessors haven’t been so respectful.
In 1997, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) led a delegation to Colombia at a time when U.S. officials were trying to attach human rights conditions to U.S. security assistance programs. Hastert specifically encouraged Colombian military officials to “bypass” President Clinton and “communicate directly with Congress.”
…a congressional delegation led by Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) which met with Colombian military officials, promising to “remove conditions on assistance” and complaining about “leftist-dominated” U.S. congresses of years past that “used human rights as an excuse to aid the left in other countries.” Hastert said he would to correct this situation and expedite aid to countries allied in the war on drugs and also encouraged Colombian military officials to “bypass the U.S. executive branch and communicate directly with Congress.”
Subsequently, U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Myles Frechette sent a cable complaining that Hastert’s actions had undermined his leverage with the Colombian military leadership.
In other instances, Hastert actually guided congressional staff to unilaterally reach deals with Colombian officials:
House Foreign Affairs Committee staff, at the direction of the Hastert group, would fly to Colombia, meet with the nation’s anti-narcotics police and negotiate the levels and terms of assistance, the scope of the program and the kinds of equipment that would be needed. Rarely were the U.S. diplomatic personnel in our embassy in Bogata consulted about the “U.S.” position in these negotiations, and in a number of instances they were excluded from or not even made aware of the meetings.
If the right is looking for members of Congress clearly infringing on the president’s constitutional prerogatives, they should look at Hastert, not Pelosi.
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OOOO……… this could be fun!
April 4th, 2007 at 3:41 pmlol, gee, and I”m sure this precedence will be mentioned in the MSM tonight…
April 4th, 2007 at 3:46 pmTypical.
IOKIYAAR*
*Its OK if you are a Republican
April 4th, 2007 at 3:46 pmThe guy on MSNBC just said Pelosi’s trip was unprecendented and hasn’t been done in the past ten years. Not to worry trolls, Pelosi is just trying to lay the groundwork for 2008 when the GOP is swept out of office and America will need to establish diplomatic relations with these nations–something the Bush White House is not capable of.
April 4th, 2007 at 3:46 pmNice catch, Nico.
April 4th, 2007 at 3:47 pmInverse clenis did it too: don’t do what we did to clenis!
April 4th, 2007 at 3:48 pmQuod licet Iovi, non licet bovi*. Or, as Joe D. says:IOKIYAR
*What becomes Jove, does not become an ox
April 4th, 2007 at 3:48 pmThe actual concern amongst most “conservative†people is that an elected official of the United States Congress is conducting foreign policy without coordination with the State Department, which is the portion of our goverment that is actually responsible for foreign policy and diplomacy. This is clearly wrong on the part of Pelosi (and would be no less wrong anyone of ANY party that did the same thing).
Comment by David
I await your apology, and your admittence that you were wrong, and that you’re getting your “talking points” from right wing blogs.
April 4th, 2007 at 3:49 pmHOW can you undermine this POTUS??? He and Cheney (Pinky and the Brain), are an international joke. Pelosi was traveling as an official of the US govt on a fact finding mission and not as a representative of our president.
April 4th, 2007 at 3:52 pmI await your apology, and your admittence that you were wrong, and that you’re getting your “talking points†from right wing blogs.
Comment by DRxJ
Don’t hold your breath, like a good Republo-fascist they will either try to spin what was said or accuse you of having taken it out of context. What gets me is that they obviously think we’re too stupid to catch onto this stuff!
April 4th, 2007 at 3:52 pmHasturd was just picking up some Coke for Boner.
April 4th, 2007 at 4:01 pmNow they are concerned about the “Constitution.”?
This is BS, and the majority of the American people know that.
UN was happy to see John Bolton go. What crap. The current Republicans are like drones, marching to whatever their queen (master) wants.
April 4th, 2007 at 4:01 pmthe very face of corpulence…
April 4th, 2007 at 4:02 pmAnyone think that CNN’s Susan Malveaux (sp)is going to correct the Repuke lies(one Repuke has gone to Syria) she has been peddling the last few days over our air ?
April 4th, 2007 at 4:04 pmFolks unless congress does something about the media connections to Political parties Only the Repuke lies are going to flow from the Corporations over our air.Example look at CNN,Faux ABC,NBC & CBS.
The Guardian
Syria: We Helped in Iran-Britain Dispute
Wednesday April 4, 2007 8:01 PM
Go go gadget Pelosi peace talks.
April 4th, 2007 at 4:04 pmSyria: We helped in Iran-Britain dispute
Syria played a key role in resolving the standoff over the 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran, two government officials said Wednesday.
Well done Pelosi - Hats off
TONY BLAIRS HARSH WORDS TO IRAN
“And to the Iranian people I would simply say this: we bear you no ill will. On the contrary, we respect Iran as an ancient civilisation, as a nation with a proud and dignified history, and the disagreements that we have with your government we wish to resolve peacefully, though dialogue. I hope, as I have always hoped, that in the future we are able to do so.”
Bush must have his head buried in the sand right now
April 4th, 2007 at 4:07 pmanother excellent photo selection. from hastert’s “glory hole” pucker, he is waiting for his next big campaign contributor
April 4th, 2007 at 4:08 pmIt seems that the British and the Iranians just completed some exchange agreement to end their so-called crisis… I guess that diplomacy being successful undercuts the insane war-mongering Bush regime’s appetite for endless hostility in the Middle East.
One of the main problems with the Bush gang is their supreme arrogance and failure to understand that videotape and computer records exist with all of their previous comments made during the Clinton Administration. You right-wingers have to start believing in and having faith in videotape and computer memories…
Please enjoy the rapidly approaching end of the treasonous Stalinist Bush cabal…
April 4th, 2007 at 4:12 pmIts a sorry time when America needs to get its news from foreign sources
This will be the next biggest ultimate turning point for America
April 4th, 2007 at 4:12 pmis there anything else that these trained monkeys can do to look foolish?
April 4th, 2007 at 4:12 pmare they as out of touch as to think that no one notices?
or just desperate?
Didn’t Condi Rice back in 2000 when Clinton was trying to make that deal between Israel and the PLO say to Israel - on behalf of Gov. George Bush - don’t deal with the PLO (aka ignore President Clinton)?
April 4th, 2007 at 4:13 pmTwo wrongs don’t make a right.
Congress should not be conducting international diplomacy no matter what party is in power.
April 4th, 2007 at 4:15 pmIf the gag was removed from Sibel Edmonds, Dennis Hastert would be in jail from committing treason on belhalf of Turkey.
How come the wussie Democratic Congress is not acting?
April 4th, 2007 at 4:19 pmTobey Tall,
Myself and I am sure most of the posters here, sans trolls of course, get their news from outside of the US. The American media is a bought and paid for propaganda wing of the republican party.
April 4th, 2007 at 4:22 pmWell josh, and other’s that are slamming Palosi, I have something to say….It’s a damn good thing that someone with brains like Palosi went over to Syria….It’s also good that blair and other’s are stepping away from the bull shit bush madness…Any one else in the world can do a better job that this administration built by war mongers and wanting to pramote more war’s..None of this bunch have ever used diplomacy, ever…They have done nothing but incite every one to riot while they picked all our pocket’s and sent all our best to the bush created war…….Be gone troll’s and dont come back untill you have good speaking point’s not from red state..
April 4th, 2007 at 4:28 pmCaption Contest:
April 4th, 2007 at 4:30 pm‘I also eat with this mouth’.
Caption Contest:
‘I also eat with this mouth’.
Comment by Zimzone — April 4, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
Or
I ate a baby!
April 4th, 2007 at 4:33 pmHastert was also on a mission to get little girls and boys for Fingers Foley and Rust. Yes it makes since that the then Speaker of the House would undermine the President and look what he got in return. Iraq stolen money was given in part to a loyal liar former Speaker of the House. The GOP was paid well for their attack of lies on Bill Clinton and now the American people will pay for following Satan rule. Karl used that born again story to suck in Christians as was done in the bible when Jesus was killed. Like cows Americans just followed believing Bush and GOP were seeking God’s word only to find out it was Satan running the White House. Now Mitt Romney is using God, Nixon and anything to get in the White House so he can continue the Bush Policy for Big Business. Pelosi is doing her best to show the world that Americans are as dumb as Bush and as evil as Cheney/Rummy. McCain is on another planet as he now has no party and he lies about his lies. Al Gonzales is still studying big English words and trying to find out what are the duties of an Attorney General. Connie is looking like the fool she is as Pelosi in doing the Secretary of States job because the Middle East leaders know Connie Rice is worthless and a liar.
April 4th, 2007 at 4:36 pmSponge - I enjoy foreign sources of news - I especially like the state sponsored propaganda from a variety of international sources. I have noticed a lacking in much of the foreign media - and that would be both sides (perspectives) of a story….but I’m sure you’ve noticed that with your practiced and objective eye.
April 4th, 2007 at 5:08 pm#29 …says the tranny whose knob is stuck on Fox News.
April 4th, 2007 at 5:10 pmWhat the fu*k are you trying to say you crazy whack job. Try writing your statement in English, then repost it.
April 4th, 2007 at 5:12 pmI think the weirdo was trying to say foreign news sources aren’t credible either.
April 4th, 2007 at 5:40 pmFor Truth - Sponge appreciates the use of smaller words when you translate for me.
Sponge - Foreign news sources rarely show b-o-t-h sides of a story or controversy. I am convinced the Left puts more stock in what the foreign press reports, as many Leftists do NOT want to hear both sides of a story - it MIGHT confuse them…..
April 4th, 2007 at 5:49 pmBut back on topic - I reallly liked the way the Speakette was relaying messages from Olmert in Israel to Assad in Syria - that puts a new face and head scarf on shuttle diplomacy!….If only she could have gotten the message correct. (I hear Olmert was a little peeved….)
April 4th, 2007 at 5:51 pm#33 Shorter tranny: All foreign news sources are left-wing smear machines.
Yeah, that BBC is just a propaganda arm of the left.
April 4th, 2007 at 5:52 pmblathers the loyal W quisling, obviously in a funk that none of its arguments are bearing the GOP or this Administration any political or real world success in spite of its obsessive desire to post at this site
But hey, apparently you like being logically and factually debunked here on a constant basis, so more power to you
Perhaps “Bozobop” is a more accurate online id considering the quality of your rhetoric and command of facts, logic and reason
April 4th, 2007 at 6:20 pmBecause meeting with allies (perfect or not) in the War on Drugs = meeting with state sponsors of terrorism.
April 4th, 2007 at 6:28 pmNot.
And these historical facts will never be brought to the attention of the general public — no, they will hear endlessly about Pelosi’s “overstepping her bounds” but nothing about the previous Speaker’s efforts to undermine Clinton.
April 4th, 2007 at 6:40 pmI am so sick and tired of the Rethugs and their minions in the media who echo whatever it is they contend, regardless that it is biased or false.
Look at that picture of the former Speaker and remember that the first right-wing attacks on Pelosi were about her looks. Right wing kooks were very troubled by the possibility that Pelosi had some work done. They preferred the stylings of this big, fat troll.
April 4th, 2007 at 6:47 pmOf course congressional repubs undermined Clinton’s foreign policy. By all accounts, he was obsessed with the threat of terrorism. Repubs had more important issues on their minds.
April 4th, 2007 at 6:56 pmThey traveled abroad and also sought to disrupt Clinton at home, trying to call off his efforts in Kosovo, Bosnia, etc. I remember a quote from Hatch back then that it was possible to honor and support the troops while forcing their return by act of congress. They also bitched and whined about his first attempts to form a national anti-terrorism effort.
April 4th, 2007 at 7:15 pm“President Clinton is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation’s armed forces about how long they will be
away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy.”
-Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)
April 4th, 2007 at 7:31 pm“I’m on the Senate Intelligence Committee, so you can trust me and believe me when I say we’re running out of cruise missles. I can’t tell you exactly how many we have left, for security reasons, but we’re almost out of cruise missles.”
April 4th, 2007 at 7:32 pm Â
-Senator Inhofe (R-OK )
This is President Clinton’s war, and when he falls flat on his face, that’s his problem.”
 Â
-Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
“You can support the troops but not the president”
 Â
-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)
“My job as majority leader is be supportive of our troops, try to have input as decisions are made and to look at those decisions after they’re made … not to march in lock step with everything the president decides to do.”
April 4th, 2007 at 7:34 pm Â
-Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
You think republicans give a shit about their own hypocrisy? The radical right is always quick to condemn and slander Democrats at the drop of a hat, but remind them of how much worse they are and all you hear is dead silence from the nazi party.
April 4th, 2007 at 8:01 pmCaption Contest:
This is how I’m going to suck up all the air on the planet.
April 4th, 2007 at 8:37 pmHastert […] encouraged Colombian military officials to “bypass the U.S. executive branch and communicate directly with Congress.â€
So much for the Republican meme that foreign policy is the exclusive realm of the Executive branch and that any attempts of oversight by Congress violate the separation of powers, and undermine presidential powers.
Children, the moral of the story is: encroaching on those Executive privileges is ok as long as you are a Republican.
April 4th, 2007 at 9:15 pmDouble standards at its worst…nice.
April 4th, 2007 at 9:48 pm“John-Boy” Bolton, SCARECROW OF Mitt ROMNEY MARSH, Denny “Forgotten FAT Blowfish Mouthed Queer” Hastert:
April 4th, 2007 at 10:05 pm“BOY ARE OUR FACES SCARLET!!!!”
FRANKLY SCARLETS, I DON’T GIVE A FLYING-F*CK!!!!!!
The GOP has long since gone beyond Double Standards. They are firmly in the world of DoubleThink. The GOP (both leadership and rank-n-file) can firmly hold two opposing beliefs and fervently believe in both at the same time:
Abortion is murder but capitol punishment is desirable.
The only way to be truly Free is to submit your life to the Authoritarian President.
Support the Troops by sending them to an illegal war with no exit strategy and no plan for victory and no end in sight. (Simple mathematics of attrition will tell you that you will eventually run out of soldiers…)
The Party Symbol of the GOP is a boot stomping on a human face (yours!), forever.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:38 pmI’m confused. Are you saying Hastert was right to undermine Clinton in Columbia? Or was he wrong, and therefore, Pelosi was wrong?
April 4th, 2007 at 10:51 pm#51 Der, troll. You don’t get it do you? There was no uproar over Hastert at that time. Now Pelosi does it and the righties pitch a little girly hissy fit. You tell me, jackass.
April 5th, 2007 at 12:04 am[…] 2) Pelosi is attempting to “establish a shadow presidency.” This claim is directly contradicted by the Post’s own reporting this morning, which states, “Foreign policy experts generally agree that Pelosi’s dealings with Middle East leaders have not strayed far, if at all, from those typical for a congressional trip.” Pelosi herself has “described the trip as little different than the visit paid to Syria the same week led by Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA),” and she went to great lengths to express her unity of purpose with President Bush on terrorism issues. The Post’s own reporting today also cites several instances of members of Congress meeting with foreign leaders during the past 30 years. As ThinkProgress noted yesterday, in contrast with Pelosi’s trip, previous congressional actions abroad attempted to directly undermine President Clinton. […]
April 5th, 2007 at 8:36 amPorky Hastert
April 5th, 2007 at 5:03 pm[…] Currently In Syria For Talks Washington Post Misleads, Contradicts Own Reporting, To Attack Pelosi FLASHBACK: Hastert Traveled Abroad, Told Foreign Leaders Not To Listen To ClintonRepublican Delegation Currently Visiting Syria, Spared From White House Attacks Spread It Around: […]
April 5th, 2007 at 5:55 pmHASTERT is a political whore and a pig..he is a disgrace to this nation. He is just another example at how far these so-called NEO-CONS will go to achieve their objectives..He, Bush, Cheney, Rice..they are all war mongering fascist who have no concern for this nation. Rather, they are interested in lining their own pockets while they can and catering to the MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX that Eisenhower warned us about in 1961. Bush and Cheney STOLE the elections of 2000, and 2004, and in the process compromised our nation’s international standing, prostituted the office of President of the United States, committed CRIMINAL impeachable acts, sacraficed American lives for their INSANE policies, and then they have the gall to criticize those REAL AMERICANS who are struggling to restore America’s honor and recapture America’s government for WE THE PEOPLE. We must continue to be vigilant to make sure they aren’t capable of stealing any more elections, Constitutional rights, and American honor. They tried it with the FEDERAL ATTORNEY SCANDAL..and got caught..but that doesn’t mean they are done with their efforts. MAY THEY ALL BURN IN HELL FOR ALL TIME IF THERE IS SUCH A PLACE !! If their isn’t, let’s hope that is path toward Fascism that America has taken under these POLITICAL VAMPIRES is a lesson that will NOT BE LOST on future generations.
April 5th, 2007 at 7:28 pm[…] 2) Pelosi is attempting to “establish a shadow presidency.†This claim is directly contradicted by the Post’s own reporting this morning, which states, “Foreign policy experts generally agree that Pelosi’s dealings with Middle East leaders have not strayed far, if at all, from those typical for a congressional trip.†Pelosi herself has “described the trip as little different than the visit paid to Syria the same week led by Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA),†and she went to great lengths to express her unity of purpose with President Bush on terrorism issues. The Post’s own reporting today also cites several instances of members of Congress meeting with foreign leaders during the past 30 years. As ThinkProgress noted yesterday, in contrast with Pelosi’s trip, previous congressional actions abroad attempted to directly undermine President Clinton. […]
April 5th, 2007 at 8:28 pm[…] Glenn Greenwald dissects the phenomenon today. The issue at hand now is, of course, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Syria. Never mind that a group of GOP representatives are also visiting (the media and the White House are quiet about that). Never mind that Hastert, a Representative under Clinton, visited Columbia and told its leaders to ignore Clinton. […]
April 6th, 2007 at 12:40 pm[…] … In 1997, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) led a delegation to Colombia at a time when U.S. officials were trying to attach human rights conditions to U.S. security assistance programs. Hastert specifically encouraged Colombian military officials to “bypass†President Clinton and â… […]
April 6th, 2007 at 5:20 pm[…] GOP Speaker Hastert told Columbia to ignore Clinton’s White House all together Think Progress » FLASHBACK: Hastert Traveled Abroad, Told Foreign Leaders Not To Listen To Clinton GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich went around Clinton to conduct talks with Communist China […]
April 9th, 2007 at 9:01 pm[…] Â Like this: […]
April 10th, 2007 at 12:03 am[…] Â Like this: […]
April 10th, 2007 at 12:04 am