Pelosi is Not President

There is a saying that goes, “Politics stops at the water’s edge.” Such a short and concise statement is actually quite powerful and wise. It recognizes that there will be disagreement on policy and other issues at home, but that for the sake of the country, these disagreements should not carry overseas.

One legislator, Arthur Vandenberg, understood this idea when he annunciated the above phrase. Prior to the speech in which he initially expressed this idea, Vandenberg had considered himself an isolationist. Times had changed, however, and in late 1945 the Cold War was already starting. Vandenberg found himself at odds with then President Truman, who was pushing for the creation of NATO and the Marshall Plan.

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, he could easily have created a shadow foreign policy- undermining President Truman’s policies while at the same time pushing his own. Vandenberg did not of course, because he realized that as a member of the legislative branch of the Federal government, it was neither his responsibility nor that of any of his colleagues to dictate foreign policy. Foreign policy was undoubtedly the realm of the President.

Unfortunately, today’s legislators do not understand this. One in particular does not seem to be aware of the model that Senator Vandenberg created; she would rather create a shadow presidency at the expense of America than fulfill her proper role as Speaker of the House. Of course, Nancy Pelosi hasn’t understood her proper role since she became Speaker. It was clear to anyone watching her since last November that Pelosi felt (and clearly still feels) a large degree of empowerment. This was beyond evident when she requested her own Air Force Three to shuttle her back and forth between Washington DC and San Francisco. The President and Vice-president travel on Air Force planes, Ms. Pelosi, not congresswomen who represent a few hundred-thousand liberals in California.

As much as she may hate it, Speaker Pelosi must realize that the President of the United States, regardless of who it is, is the Commander in Chief, and thusly the head of foreign relations and diplomacy. It follows then that when the President sets a policy that the United States will not have relations with the leaders of radical, terrorist-supporting countries like Syria, that our other elected representatives fall in line and not have relations with the heads of these countries. Of course, Pelosi did just the opposite, and last week took a trip to Syria to meet President Bashar al-Assad- a man the US has been trying to isolate for several years now.

By meeting with Assad, Pelosi successfully undermined years-worth of American policy. In the one half-hour period that Pelosi met with Assad, the Syrian President (do not be fooled by the title, it is an inherited position) went from international outcast to legitimate ruling authority. This of course is the same man who organized the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister (an actual legitimate ruling authority) last summer, allows countless terrorists and fighters to stream over his border in to Iraq and is the second largest financier of terrorism behind Iran. It is not difficult to wonder why the US hasn’t had relations with him in so many years.

Despite the fact that Pelosi never should have been in Syria in the first place, she did a terrible job as a diplomat while there. In a press conference after meeting with Assad, Pelosi proclaimed that “Israel was ready to engage in peace talks” with Syria. Of course, the Prime Minister of Israel said no such thing when he met with Pelosi earlier, and was forced to issue a press release saying nothing had in fact changed in Israel’s foreign policy.

This isn’t the end of it however. In the same press conference, Pelosi mischaracterized Syria’s position, and insisted that they too were ready for peace talks, seemingly heralding a new era in Israeli-Syrian relations. And just like the Prime Minister of Israel, the President of Syria was forced to issue a statement essentially saying that Syria was still committed to the elimination of the State of Israel and the killing of Jews. It really sounds like Israel and Syria are ready for peace talks, doesn’t it?

Now that the congresswoman from San Francisco is back where she should be, I hope she will absorb the many criticisms that have been thrown her way. Speaker Pelosi needs to realize that she is in fact Speaker Pelosi, and not President Pelosi. Undoubtedly though, it will not be too far in the future to see her sleeping with our other wonderful friend, President Ahmadinejad of Iran.
If Pelosi is so concerned about America’s foreign relations, perhaps she should throw her name in the ring for 2008. I’m sure Hillary Clinton would welcome her.