WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Syria, a country President Bush has shunned as a sponsor of terrorism, despite being asked by the administration not to go.”In our view, it is not the right time to have these sort of high-profile visitors to Syria,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Friday.
Pelosi arrived in Israel on Friday in what is her second fact-finding trip to the Middle East since taking over leadership in the House in January.
Her repeat trip, an indication she plans to play a role in foreign policy, is also a direct affront to the administration, which says such diplomatic overtures by lawmakers can do more harm than good.
Pelosi shrugs off White House criticism
BEIRUT, Lebanon - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) on Monday shrugged off White House criticism of her upcoming trip to Damascus, saying she had "great hope" for reviving U.S. relations with Syria and changing its behavior.
Speaking hours after arriving in Lebanon, Pelosi indicated the Bush administration was singling out her trip to Syria, but ignoring the recent visits by Republican members of Congress.
White House renews objection to top lawmaker's Syria trip
This bitch needs to learn her place.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House on Monday objected to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record)'s looming visit to Damascus, saying she risked undermining US-led efforts to isolate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."It sends the wrong message to have high-level US officials going there to have photo opportunities that Assad then exploits," said spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. "We discourage such trips by high-ranking US officials."
Asked whether the White House viewed Pelosi's visit as a mere "photo opportunity," Perino replied: "I believe that Assad thinks of it that way and he tries to use it as leverage."
It sure as hell isn't Syria, unless she issues a change of address.
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