Media: Pelosi’s Syria Diplomacy = ‘Foolish’; Bush’s Syria Diplomacy = ‘Victory’
Media: Pelosi’s Syria Diplomacy = ‘Foolish’; Bush’s Syria Diplomacy = ‘Victory’
When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi traveled to Syria to visit President Bashar al-Assad last spring, the right wing immediately excoriated her diplomatic efforts.
President Bush said the trip “sends mixed signals” to the Assad government, and Dana Perino called the trip “a really bad idea.” Vice President Dick Cheney said Assad’s “bad behavior’s being rewarded.” Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) viciously accused Democrats of being “so drunk with grandiose visions of deposing Bush that they break bread with terrorists and enemies of the United States.”
The media picked up the conservative talking points and ran with them:
CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux: “Why should the Americans, or even the international community, see this any more as a political stunt here, a publicity stunt, a big wet kiss to President Al-Assad?”
Washington Post Editorial Board: “Ms. Pelosi’s attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish.”
Thomas Sowell of the Baltimore Sun: “All that Ms. Pelosi’s trip can accomplish is to advertise American disunity to a terrorist-sponsoring nation in the Middle East while we are in a war there.”
NBC’s Matt Lauer: “But if the Democrats and Speaker Pelosi appear to be acting irresponsibly or incompetently — and let’s face it, a lot of people think she messed up on this one — what’s the impact for Democrats overall?”
Now that the Bush administration has come to its senses and invited Syria to become part of the solution in the Middle East, the media has missed the administration’s reversal, instead praising Bush’s “victory” in securing Syria’s attendance:
New York Times: “Syria announced Sunday that it would attend the Middle East peace meeting beginning here Monday night, joining Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab League participants in a turnabout that represented a victory for the Bush administration.”
The Denver Post: “Victory for U.S.: Syria to attend summit.”
The AP’s Amy Teibel: “The Bush administration was able to declare a clean sweep when Syria, the last Arab world holdout, said Sunday it would attend this week’s high-stakes Mideast peace conference.”
The Wall Street Journal: “The Bush administration is even courting a long-time pariah, Syria. … Talks with Syria could go some way in weakening Tehran’s strongest alliance in the region.”
The AP’s Sam Ghattas: “The Syrian participation is already seen in Washington as a success for the Bush administration.”
With the exception of a right-wing editorial in the Wall Street Journal attacking the Bush administration, not a single media outlet appears to have noticed that only six months ago, they — and the White House — were imprudently ripping the Speaker for reaching out to Syria.
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All together now! “It’s o.k. if a republican does it.”
November 27th, 2007 at 5:22 pmIOKIYAR
November 27th, 2007 at 5:22 pmIt never ceases to amaze me how the Republiscums can’t see the hypocrisies in the things they do and say. Are they really that stupid?
November 27th, 2007 at 5:23 pmAll together now! “It’s o.k. if a republican does it.â€
Comment by Rick O. — November 27, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Hahahahaha and I hadn’t even read Rick O’s post.
I guess it’s pretty obvious.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:23 pmThe media is just a big collective mouthpiece for the Republicans. They don’t even pretend to be balanced anymore.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:24 pmYou mean they didn’t add, “If it were not for Pelosi’s trip initiating dialog, this would not have transpired.”?
The press rolls over for Bush? I’m shocked!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:25 pmIf was determined to talk to Syria by someone that is not The Decider, then it is ‘foolish’ and ‘a big wet kiss’. As long as it’s The Decider making the determination to talk to Syria then it’s making good progress. In other words, The Decider’s word is the ONLY word that counts. Yup, democracy at work.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:26 pmBe sure to read Glenn Greenwald’s fantastic work on the latest cringe-inducing excuses from Republican water boy Joe Klein, who is nothing if not a mendacious liar.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:27 pmAll together now! “It’s o.k. if a republican does it.â€
Comment by Rick O. — November 27, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
IOKIYAR
Comment by Luis M — November 27, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Darn — y’all beat me to it!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:27 pmIt used to take years for the hypocricy to make its way around. Now the rebublicans are doing it in months. They’re getting more efficient at being immoral.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:29 pmyea yea yea… the corporate media is doin’ it’s job… imagine that…
but THIS is what nancy&co let fly last month:
THE VIOLENT RADICALIZATION AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM PREVENTION ACT:
An Act passed by The House in late October and currently before the Senate Homeland Security Committee is as bad as or WORSE than the McCarthy Era when people were labeled and jailed for anything HE deemed UNAMERICAN ACTIVITIES.
Language inserted in the act does partially define “homegrown terrorism” as “planning” or “threatening” to use force to promote a political objective, meaning that just thinking about doing something could be enough to merit the terrorist label.
The act also describes “violent radicalization” as the promotion of an “extremist belief system” without attempting to define “extremist.”
Here is the FULL TEXT OF THE BILL:
Note Section 899A Homegrown Terrorism where it becomes a crime “to intimidate or coerce the US government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objective”. And Section 899B Paragraph 3 – The internet is a tool of terror.
http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/live/
how the hell did THAT happen???!!!
TP? have you anything to add?
November 27th, 2007 at 5:30 pm!
Be sure to read Glenn Greenwald’s fantastic work on the latest cringe-inducing excuses from Republican water boy Joe Klein, who is nothing if not a mendacious liar.
Comment by VerbalKint — November 27, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
And you got to use “mendacious” in a sentence. Not every day that happens!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:31 pmI also think it’s cute that the bar for “success” is now so low that just inviting a foreign leader to come to a meeting is considered “a success for the Bush administration.”
Never mind that the “agreement” discussed at today’s meeting contained nothing substantial about settlements, borders, the status of Jerusalem, the return of 1948 refugees, water and electricity, or the Apartheid wall. I doubt many media outlets will mention that. This will be unilaterally considered a “victory.”
November 27th, 2007 at 5:31 pmOh those silly “LIBERAL” MSM guys, can’t they make up their minds? Oh, a Repukian did it, never mind.
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trails ‘09
Buck Fush
November 27th, 2007 at 5:33 pmSo having a one-on-one meeting with the president of Syria is the same thing as inviting the Syrian leadership to a peace summit attended by around 40 nations?
Comment by DreamCrusher — November 27, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
You’re right. The one-on-one meeting is potentially much more productive. As opposed to this photo-op do-nothing “peace summit.” They really are completely different things.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:36 pmDC, darlin’ dipshite, Pelosi went to Syria as PART OF A CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION - which INCLUDED Republicans….
But I guess that’s different, eh?
November 27th, 2007 at 5:37 pm“Self-appointed shadow president” describes Darth Cheney FAR better than it describes Nancy Pelosi.
Idiot.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:38 pmSuzanne Malveaux’s wet lips are planted firmly on Bush’s ass.
-GSD
November 27th, 2007 at 5:38 pmOne of these days, Americans are going to get clear on something very important: Democrats favor media regulation and Repubs don’t. Therefore, the corporations which own the media will always insist either overtly or in subtle fashion that their news organizations are friendly to repubs and hostile to dems.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:39 pmThis type of diplomacy is something that is to be handled by the Executive Branch, not by a self-appointed shadow president that foolishly chose to take diplomatic matters into her own hands and blew it badly in the process.
Comment by cold_hard_left — November 27, 2007 @ 5:36 pm
Which article of the Constitution forbids a Member of Congress from meeting with foreign leaders?
November 27th, 2007 at 5:39 pmThe Liberal Media did what? C’mon, no way would the Liberal Media do this. Say it ain’t so Joe Liberman, say it ain’t so.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:39 pmDamn the liberal internets for having a memory!!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:39 pmSo having a one-on-one meeting with the president of Syria is the same thing as inviting the Syrian leadership to a peace summit attended by around 40 nations?
Not to mention that Pelosi isn’t/wasn’t a member of the US administration.
Apples are oranges, watermelons are grapes. Everything goes at Think “Grasping at Straws†Progress.
Comment by DreamCrusher — November 27, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
A few questions for you, DC… how does inviting Syria to a peace summit make Syria any less evil than they were in the spring when Pelosi (and Republican Congressmen too) met with its president?
How is Pelosi’s visit “rewarding bad behavior” and this invitation is not?
Why does one have to be a member of the administration in order to meet with foreign leaders?
November 27th, 2007 at 5:39 pmMost media reports are driven by press releases from right-wing think tanks and advocacy groups. Since there is so little actual reporting and so few reporters with actual knowledge or opinions, there is no room for consistency or for news analysis.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:41 pm24%ers are really, really stupid.
Geesh. It’s downright embarrassing.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:42 pmMixing apples and oranges is one thing…but mixing Sadaam and Al Qaeda got people killed.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:45 pm24%ers are really, really stupid.
Geesh. It’s downright embarrassing.
Comment by Leftside Annie — November 27, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
Annie, it’s only embarrassing to us because we have empathy and can sense how we’d feel if we were as stupid as they show themselves to be. But 24%ers, being born without either empathy or powers of self-reflection, feel no shame, no embarrassment. It’s fascinating, really.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:45 pmThis is a failing of the main stream media, always on the side of the state. (Provided ‘the state’ is pro-war, pro-corporate).
November 27th, 2007 at 5:46 pmWhen President Clinton was involved with very sensitive talks between Isralies and Palestinians, one hot issue was the status of Jeruselem. Isralie hard-liners wanted the city to be the capital of Israel and this was a sticking point. Republican House Speaker Newt Gingridge went to Israel, met with the hard liners and made a public announcement that Jeruselum should be the capital of Israel. This set back peace talks for months, but I don’t remember any republicans complaining and I don’t remember any Democrat even intimating that Gingridge didn’t have a right to engage in a foreign policy debate with either allies or enemies. But this double standard is what we’ve come to expect from clueless sociopathic Bush cultists.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:46 pmTHAT DAMN LIBERAL MEDIA!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:48 pmAre you Syrias?
November 27th, 2007 at 5:49 pmComment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — November 27, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
Thanks for your valuable insight as always, Colonel. If I may take the liberty, your comment could be summarized as: IOKIYAR.
But you said it much more foircefully.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:50 pmCWAPPY LIBRUL MEDIA!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:51 pmComment by cold_hard_left — November 27, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
You already stoop to that level as a bonafide 28%-er.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:54 pmAvoid the punches from the get-rich-quick trolls. Report the abuse.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:01 pmRalph, thanks, but I feel pretty stupid because I only now realized what IOKIYAR means.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:10 pmRalph, thanks, but I feel pretty stupid because I only now realized what IOKIYAR means.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — November 27, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
No worries, Colonel. I tell you this, IOKIYAR will change your life. It will free you up to say and do anything you want with no consequences or accountability… oh, wait — you’re not a wingnut, are you? …In that case, it will just be a source of endlessly alternating amusement and frustration as you observe the wingnutosphere around you.
But I suspect you already recognize the principle, you just didn’t have an acronym for it.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:18 pmGreat post, Ali. Perfectly documented examples of MSM hypocisy.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:22 pmBush administration hasn’t had an original thought in their head for 7 years. They want it both ways. If Pelosi does it, it stinks. If they do it, it’s golden. Their such frauds.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:24 pmYou already stoop to that level as a bonafide 28%-er.
Comment by Lt. Progressive
The right side desperately needs Bush to be ‘relevant’, so they lie and obfuscate the facts to do this. The right side is livid because a CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION (repubs too) went to speak with Syria, but it doesn’t count until mr irrelevancy speaks to them in his unique way.
All through the cold war, we (reagan) spoke to the soviets and china. All through the cold war, we even did business with those countries – and ya know what? We didn’t go to war with them. So its ok for reagan to deal with the enemy, but not a member of Congress? This argument is even insane by right side standards.
The simple truth is the planet knows bush is an idiot. The whole planet knows Bush surrounds himself with sychophant robots who have no education vis-a-vis the Middle East. Dr Rice is a Russian expert – not ME. The huge photo op currently going on in Annapolis is a sham. Nothing will get accomplished, except Bush will get his picture taken with people who don’t respect him. I would hope the right side would be able to figure out they are being taken for a ride again. I guess they like to be lied to.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:25 pmCHL – yeah, what Lt. Progressive said.
Anyone who still supports Chimpy now is either stupid or evil. Which are you…?
November 27th, 2007 at 6:27 pmMixing apples and oranges is one thing…but mixing Sadaam and Al Qaeda got people killed.
Comment by Badger — November 27, 2007 @ 5:45 pm
You mean killed by BushCo, don’t you…?
November 27th, 2007 at 6:30 pmComment by StratRat — November 27, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
Brilliantly presented. In 2008, your vote can help teach America to kick the double standard in American politics to the curb. The no-nonsense progressive vote is going to set the record straight.
I’ll meet you at the polls.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:39 pmthis morning i listened to a fox news report on the local AM radio…
the story about this conference made mention of IRAN several times,
specifically that iran was not invited, that it would be the center of attention and the subject of many meetings…
it occurred to me: huh… sounds like a US sanctioned “gang up” on iran…
November 27th, 2007 at 6:43 pmlet’s all get together and come to an agreement on the reasons why iran
should be nuked…
…
The Bush war-mongers are hosting a “Mideast peace conference†in Annapolis (the home of the Naval Academy, part of our war-making machine)? The Bush gangster regime has illegally invaded and occupied Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush has murdered over one million Iraqis in his vile blood-lust. Bush has forced millions of Iraqis to flee and leave Iraq. Bush had given the zionist imperialist Israelis one million cluster bombs which they in turn dropped on the Lebanonese people… Bush has tried to destroy Hamas, the democratically elected representatives of the Palestinian people Peace is the absence of war. Peace is also the absence of war-mongering. So Bush and Cheney should stop their war-mongering and saber-rattling against the Iranian people. And now this war-criminal has the gall to organize a “peace†conference? Grotesque…
This is akin to Hitler and the German Nazis trying to stage a “Scandinavian Peace Conference†in Hamburg in 1941 after they invaded and occupied Denmark and Norway…
November 27th, 2007 at 6:45 pmThis peace conference has bogus written all over it. Leopards never change their spots and Bush definitely has not developed a conscience since yesterday. It’s nothing more than a publicity stunt.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:53 pmStratrat: Did you know that Bush also banned Jimmy Carter from going there?
November 27th, 2007 at 6:54 pmComment by patooty — November 27, 2007 @ 6:54 pm
How’s it going?
http://www.prankplace.com/outofofficecalendar.htm
Enjoy your calendar!
November 27th, 2007 at 6:57 pmI was wondering if any Bushies could tell me if crow tastes like chicken or turkey?
November 27th, 2007 at 7:05 pmGee, there most be a oil pipeline running thru the axis of evil urrr Syria
November 27th, 2007 at 7:06 pmIt would be easy to call the 1%ers that support Kucinich and/or the 2%ers that support Ron Paul “stupid,†but I will resist the temptation to stoop to that level.
Comment by cold_hard_left — November 27, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
Silly opinions always come easy, and please stop stooping. I keep an eye on the investor websites and they actually agree with Paul on his economic opinions as do quite a few conservatives.
As for the conservative view on Annapolis?
November 27th, 2007 at 7:21 pmEverybody is going through the motions again as part of the ongoing charade known as the Middle East “peace process”, now in its latest incarnation at the Annapolis conference.
You can’t keep lying and be a winner. The conference is dead on arrival. Bush and rice should know and they do. It’s a photo opt. That sells in America…… on fox and the printed nyt’s.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:24 pmLet’s see, what did conservatives say about Clinton’s efforts in this area? I think it was something about confusing efforts with results. Will they use the same standards to judge Bush’s latest photo op? I’m guessing no.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:25 pmDiplomacy carried out by a ship of fools. Give US a break!
November 27th, 2007 at 7:28 pmFunny how there was mention of putting the Golan Heights on the table to lure Syrian participation yet the joint announcement is totally silent on the subject.
This agreement reminds me of Vietnam where there was much fanfare that peace talks would be held in Paris. For two long years the only item being discuss was the shape of the negotating table.
Look for these talks to mirror that phase of the Paris talks. Talk of progress but only on the irrlevant and meaningless.
I wonder, did Henry Kissinger’s consulting firm get a big fat fee for coming up with this idea?
November 27th, 2007 at 7:30 pm#11
Get with the program, it was RepupubliCONS who put forth the piece of sh|t bill. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1959
Sen. Susan Collins [R-ME]hide cosponsors
Cosponsors [as of 2007-10-21]
Sen. Norm Coleman [R-MN]
As for RepubliCON hypocrisy on foreign Affairs. HA!
November 27th, 2007 at 7:33 pmWasn’t it ROnnie Raygun who went behind Carter and negotiated with the ENEMY (at the time) IRAN for the release of the hostages ON HIS Inaugeration date.
What fu(king, slimy, piece of SH|T that RAYGUN was. I think we should dig his dead ass up, and hang him now.
OH for goodness sakes give this one a pass. Pelosi is Legislative. She has no constitutional ability to speak foreign policy and violated law by doing so. When the Executive does it, it is constitutional and there is no comparison between the two. You can use all the inductive reasoning you want to but it is not possible to reach the conclusions you did in this piece without ignoring the constitution.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:35 pmAfter a break in the dialog of peace, seven years ago, Israel consumes a bit more land, so it time to have a other short sitdown. Look for the next deal in six years hence after Jerusalem is firmly in occpied land. Shame on US for repeating the lie.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:36 pmOH for goodness sakes give this one a pass. Pelosi is Legislative. She has no constitutional ability to speak foreign policy and violated law by doing so. When the Executive does it, it is constitutional and there is no comparison between the two. You can use all the inductive reasoning you want to but it is not possible to reach the conclusions you did in this piece without ignoring the constitution.
Comment by interestedlitigan
WTF are you mumbling d|ckhead?
November 27th, 2007 at 7:47 pmThe MAKING of Foreign POLICY is given through the Constitution to the Presnit, not TALKING to other world leaders you fu(king nattering nabob.
Pay no attention to all the GOP failures and defections behind the curtain.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:47 pmComment by interestedlitigant — November 27, 2007 @ 7:35 pm
Can you point out where in the Constitution it says that a “legislative” figure is forbidden to meet with an official of a foreign state?
I’m curious… if Speaker Pelosi actually violated the law, as you say, and the right wing was up in arms about her trip (which, as has been pointed out above, was a Congressional delegation) why were she and the other members of her delegation (which included Republicans) not prosecuted?
November 27th, 2007 at 7:47 pmThis is exactly why the internet must be monitored. Once the data mining is in place, it would be a simple manouver to merely delete all offensive history and replace it with the “correct” history.
It would also be possible for the government to hack into every computer connected to the internet and alter its contents as well.
It would take very few Party Loyalists to accomplish such a feat, once the technology is in place.
We have seen the early stages of attempts to alter history unfold just in the past few years. They’ll get the bugs worked out soon enough.
Then we can all be perpetually ignorant.
We can all be in a perpetual state of bliss.
Let’s face it, almost 1/3 of the population is already there.
November 27th, 2007 at 8:02 pmBush is a TRAITOR @ 7:33 pm –
why, of course it was republiCONs who sponsored that pos bill…
but 219 democratic reps voted for it… only 6 reps voted no…
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2007-993&sort=vote
what program???
November 27th, 2007 at 8:02 pm.
Do you think Syria is listening to Bush? Assad can see the polls. Why should they deal with an unpopular ruler with a paralyzed army and a plummeting currency? Pelosi was doubtless who the Syrians are interested in: How will the Democrats move?
November 27th, 2007 at 8:10 pmGeorge Bush is done. He’s not part of the future of the rest of the world. It’s looking through him.
Democrats are acting like a boxer inside the ring keeps running to the referee everytime he gets a punch.
November 27th, 2007 at 8:30 pmInstead of hitting back, Democrats keep looking for help from outside.
Even after they won the House..they still cannot lay a good punch yet.
Looks like we have all had similar thoughts IOKIYAR!!
Is this a concerted effort to just wear us critics down? Just continue to slap Democrats and critics of this administration until we are too exhausted to get up again?
Pelosi visits Syria – Horrors!!
Syria is invited here – Wondrous!
They rewrite history. They forget recent contradictions. The ever-eager-to-please-media breathlessly repeats the propaganda fed to them straight from the White House.
I don’t know if I have the stamina to face this onslaught of abuse from the Republiscum, Bush&Co and the press for another 14 months.
What must the critics and truth-tellers of today do in order to be recognized as such?
November 27th, 2007 at 8:44 pmActually if the media were operating at no better than mediocrity, they wouldn’t let things like this slip past the short attention span of John Q. PUblic. But that’s a dream of mine: to have a press that actually employs journalists. Bush&Co could never have gotten away with this constant barrage of bullsh*t if the press were on the job, instead of in the pocket.
Keith Olbermann reported that Bush only stayed at the “Peace Summit” for 3 hours. Apparently, Bushy was so deeply invested in the peace process, that he couldn’t miss his afternoon bicycle ride.
November 27th, 2007 at 9:14 pmKeith Olbermann reported that Bush only stayed at the “Peace Summit†for 3 hours. Apparently, Bushy was so deeply invested in the peace process, that he couldn’t miss his afternoon bicycle ride.
Comment by wmhogg — November 27, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
he sent for Pelosi to sub for him.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:00 pmCaption:
“I’m goin’ down on ya’ right now, Massah.”
∞
November 28th, 2007 at 1:20 amYou can use all the inductive reasoning you want to but it is not possible to reach the conclusions you did in this piece without ignoring the constitution.
Comment by interestedlitigant — November 27, 2007 @ 7:35 pm
It is impossible to support the GWB administration unless you ignore the Constitution.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:26 amDC – Stupid or evil…which are you?
November 28th, 2007 at 10:55 am