Pelosi takes chair in empty all-male Saudi council ["It's a nice view from here,".......]

Reuters ^

[Sub-Driver]

Pelosi takes chair in empty all-male Saudi council Thu Apr 5, 2007 10:52 AM ET

RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Saudi Arabia's appointed advisory council on Thursday, taking a chance to sit on the speaker's chair in the all-male house -- while it was empty.

"It's a nice view from here," Pelosi, who this year became the first woman speaker of the U.S. Congress, said inside the empty room where 150 men appointed by the king debate laws and make recommendations to the cabinet.

Thursday is a rest day for the house, the Shura Council.

"This chair is very comfortable -- as long as there are no members," Pelosi joked, referring to the tough job of managing legislative assemblies.

She arrived from Damascus where she met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a two-day trip that President George W. Bush -- who is trying to ostracize Syria -- slammed as "counterproductive" and sending "mixed signals".

Saudi reform activists presented a petition to King Abdullah this week asking for free elections to an elected parliament, but some of them have been arrested.

Expectations of progress on social and political reform in the U.S.-allied absolute monarchy, where political parties are banned, have been high since the king took the throne in 2005.

Women cannot drive, face restrictions in the workplace and hold no high positions of public office, which is how clerics of Saudi Arabia's strict form of Islam say things should remain.

"After 200 years in the United States we finally have a (woman) speaker, it look us a long time," Pelosi, a Democrat leader, told reporters after talks with her Saudi counterpart.

[Sub-Driver]

ya can't make this stuff up....

[freedomson]

SUBMIT!

[AU72]

Calling her dumb as a post would insult some mighty fine posts in know.-

[edcoil]

No Arab man would attend - it would be a disgrace. The empty room is the only reason she was allowed in. We have a similar problem when Rice negotiates there as well.

[siunevada]

Saudi reform activists presented a petition to King Abdullah this week asking for free elections to an elected parliament, but some of them have been arrested.

Some but not all. Wow, it's like a whole new beautiful world.

[freedomson]

“Burn that chair.”

[whershey]

I hope they clean the seat well.

[Sender]

Nancy, those 150 men that were conveniently absent today would have you in their kitchen, barefoot and pregnant, with no opportunity to escape.

They would beat you if you dared to open your mouth. Enjoy the chair though. They will sanitize it after you leave. Thanks for representing your country party.

[BMC1]

What an IDIOT but then demoncrats are REALLY, REALLY stupid.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

Thursday is a rest day for the house, the Shura Council

it woulda been empty on any other day a woman dared to enter..

[jackieaxe]

The Saudis are back stabbing pigs. We should be at war with them, instead our President is kissing their a**. Why are there 20,000 Saudi students in the US on student visas just like the 9-11 hijackers?

[eyedigress]

Women cannot drive, face restrictions in the workplace and hold no high positions of public office, which is how clerics of Saudi Arabia's strict form of Islam say things should remain.

Nancy Pelosi is their perfect example

[2banana]

Nancy - you ignorant infidel slut...

[GeorgiaDawg32]

don’t worry..pelosi will have Riyahd adopting san fran values in no time..she’s such a good negotiator and diplomat and stuff..

[Txsleuth]

Why would she do that??

Why would she sit in that room, on one of those chairs, and remark on “the view”?????

If she had ANY brains she would have refused to go in that room, since WOMEN in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to.

She COULD have used that as an opportunity to make a point...instead of preening and patting HERSELF on the back!!

What a selfish, selfish, narcissistic person she is!!

[bert]

For the record, the CEO of the Olyean trading group, the largest in the kingdom is a woman. She is one of the wealthiest in the world.

She is the vehicle by which change will be made .

[Txsleuth]

PING

[RckyRaCoCo]

Reminds me of an old SCTV skit...

"i want to be king and pope!"

[ishabibble]

This just keeps getting better!
Pelosi playing at being the speaker in a Saudi council room, as long as it was empty. Beyond pathetic.

Keep going, Nancy Hajib, keep showing the American public what a joke you are! When push comes to shove, you’ve made a complete fool out of yourself (and the rest of the Dems) in front of the entire world. What a lame joke this woman is!

[Bahbah]

It just gets better and better, doesn’t it :)