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With her trip to Syria, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi achieved two things: She undercut her own credibility in Washington, and she spotlighted what is wrong with the Democrats' approach to national security. The spectacle of Pelosi making nice with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and accepting at face value his claim that he is ready to "resume the peace process" with Israel had a large portion of official Washington tittering. At the same time, Syrian authorities were telling the local press that there had been no change in its position. And Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Pelosi that...

In visiting Syria this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi no doubt meant well. She wants dialogue. As a woman, mother, and now the third-highest-ranking elected official in American politics, she has achieved a great deal in life by talking with people. On this trip she made a point of showing how easy it is to interact with Syrians, with an itinerary that included a visit to a souk in Damascus - where she was photographed holding out her hand while a cheerful vendor gave her some nuts. Unfortunately, that photo-op sums up the best that can be said about Pelosi's...

RIYADH (AFP) - US House speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) sat in the speaker's chair on Thursday on a visit to conservative Saudi Arabia's all-male advisory council and said her talks with King Abdullah centered on his Middle East peace plan. "Nice view from here," Pelosi said as she sat in the chair of Sheikh Saleh bin Humaid, a Muslim cleric who heads the 150-strong appointed Shura (consultative) Council. Sporting a pistachio green pantsuit in a country where only foreign dignitaries are exempted from the abaya, the long black cloak that is a must for other women, Pelosi...

HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad...

DAMASCUS, Syria (CNN) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived Tuesday in the Syrian capital, where she is expected to tackle an issue complicating the U.S. mission in the Middle East -- Damascus' alleged support for militants in Iraq and Lebanon. Though her visit conjured a strong rebuke by the White House, Syria seemed to welcome the 67-year-old California Democrat. After arriving in Damascus, Pelosi visited a centuries-old market district, where she mingled with Syrians. She also visited the Omayyad mosque in Old Damascus, which is considered one of the most sacred sites in the capital. (Watch what the White House...

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Washington -- Reckless is the best way to describe Nancy Pelosi's latest in-your-face attempt at upstaging George W. Bush foreign policy. Assad is viewing her trip as a green light to take over Lebanon the way Saddam viewed Glapsie's lack of interference as a green light to invade Kuwait. Will she take the blame if Lebanon falls to Assad and his cabal of murderers and thugs? Probably not. But the American people and the Lebanese must hold her feet to the fire. Nancy Pelosi is on a power trip. Those who have worked closely with her in Congress speak of...

Congressman Tom Lantos, who is a member of the delegation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading to Syria, put the mission clearly when he said: "We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy." Democrats can have any foreign policy they want -- if and when they are elected to the White House. Until Nancy Pelosi came along, it was understood by all that we had only one president at a time and -- like him or not -- he alone had the Constitutional authority to speak for this country to foreign nations, especially in wartime. All that Pelosi's trip can...

WASHINGTON - The United States played a crucial but almost "invisible" role in finding and killing Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya by using a tracking device sewn into his backpack's fabric and plotting his movements with unmanned Predators and high-flying surveillance aircraft, The Atlantic magazine reported.In an article in its March issue, the magazine said the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the US military targeted Sabaya, whose real name was Aldam Tilao, and his group after they kidnapped American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham and another American Guillermo Sobero in May 2001 holding them for ransom. “His removal by Philippine...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi toured Jerusalem holy sites Saturday alongside a congressional delegation that included the first Muslim elected to Congress. The tour was part of the congressional delegation's first full day in Jerusalem, the first stop on their fact-finding trip to the Middle East. The group arrived here Friday. Flanked by security guards, Pelosi, D-Calif., and the delegation toured the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians believe Jesus' body was buried, in Jerusalem's Old City. They also visited the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, where Jews have gathered for centuries to pray. Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison...

Pelosi Going to Syria Despite Objections Mar 30 04:10 PM US/Eastern By ANNE FLAHERTY Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - 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....

The federal agency that tracked pork-barrel spending during the 12 years of the Republican congressional majority has discontinued the practice since Democrats took power, riling lawmakers suspicious of the timing and concerned about the pace of fat being added to bills. "To me, something doesn't smell right," said Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican. "I just hope no one is pressuring" the Congressional Research Service (CRS). While not blaming the Democratic leadership, Mr. DeMint added: "I guess if you're looking for a motive, you'd have to look in that direction."

Press Releases Contact: Brendan Daly 202-226-7616 For Immediate Release 03/28/2007 Pelosi and Reid Call on President to Work with Congress to Chart New Course in Iraq Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today sent the following letter to President Bush objecting to delaying the needed funding for our troops by vetoing the emergency supplemental spending bill, and urging him to work with Congress to ensure our troops receive the support they deserve. The text of the letter is below: March 28, 2007 The President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: Last...

For Immediate Release 03/10/2007 Pelosi Statement on Bush Veto Threat of Military Funding Bill Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on President Bush's threat to veto the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act: "President Bush’s Iraq policies weaken our military’s readiness, dishonor our nation’s promises to our veterans, and fail to hold the Iraqi government accountable for overdue reforms. "By threatening to veto the House's military funding bill, the President is walking away from his promise to the American people. The President has vowed to veto a bill that contains his own...

Pelosi Delays Decision on JeffersonBy Susan Ferrechio Published: March 1, 2007 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has postponed until at least next week action on a resolution that would place embattled Rep. William J. Jefferson on the Homeland Security Committee after Republicans said they would demand a roll call vote that could be potentially embarrassing for some Democrats. Leadership aides confirmed Thursday that the vote has been tentatively scheduled for sometime next week. Democrats acknowledged that their move to give the seat to the Louisiana Democrat, who is under federal investigation for bribery, would not happen via the simple and fast...

(LIP-wb) -- Peru's president Alan Garcia announced that he will put the presidential airplane up for sale, according to his own words, on occasion it was used wrongfully and inappropriately by his predecessors and it became a burden on the Peruvian State's wallet. “I already made the decision not to use the plane when I was elected president. I am too old for that kind of flattery and comfort because life is different”, he said. The chief of State added that the money gained from the sale of the airplane will be used for the construction of new premises...

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., bow their heads during the invocation at the National Prayer Breakfast."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) smiles and flexes her muscles after being sworn in for the 110th Congress as the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House Chamber. (Getty Images)

Caption this picture of the effervescent Nancy Pelosi.