Now Syria is OK

So now it would seem that perhaps talking to the Syrians is OK? It seems that Condoleezza Rice may be meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Egypt later this week. Now in all fairness the meeting is not confirmed at this point, yet when asked about it she said that she "wouldn't rule it out." So, apparently talking to the Syrians isn't quite the horror we were lead to believe just a few weeks ago. Or perhaps Speaker Pelosi opened an important door for us. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

But humor and irony aside, this could be an important development. Never underestimate the power of this Administration to mess things up, but talking to Iraq's neighbors is vital to US interests. Lots of the people so solidly opposed to the war now, especially those who were supportive or unsure at its start, have long argued for the need for less US involvement and more international involvement. Had the effort to stabilize Iraq since 2003 been more international, it would have been perceived less as an occupation, and thus would have had a better chance for success. The need for international involvement has only grown as the ability of the US to control the situation has diminished. It is good to see the Bush Administration taking some small steps in the right direction. It will make things easier for their successors at least.

Pelosi in Syria

Phoenix woman at Firedoglake has put together a summary debunking the Nancy Pelosi in Syria smear campaign. I've got nothing to add to what she says, but this is a great resource for anyone wanting to know about this issue.

Nancy Pelosi in Syria

Ok, I haven't had anything to say on this absurd controversy in part because it is so absurd, and also because other folks have covered this story so well. Josh Marshall has been all over this story and has provided a wealth of information. There is a great video blog post on the Israeli denial that Speaker Pelosi carried a message to Assad. Also this commentary on Richard Holbrooke's appearance on Hardball. There is plenty more at TPM. The whole controversy can be summed up with this from Holbrooke

I think this whole thing has been blown out of proportion by a deliberate ambush plan by the opposition, in this case the Republicans, and frankly, exploited by journalists who are just looking for a fake controversy. There is no issue here. Congressman Wolf, a major Republican, was in the region a few days earlier. Republicans were on her trip. There's no issue. None.

There is no issue. None.

But one other thing about the conservative view of our times and our nation is highlighted by this whole controversy. Our system of government makes plentiful use of critical review to reach policy decisions. There is a constant process of debate and discussion on all aspects of policy. That includes foreign affairs and national security. This can be seen in the fact that every Speaker of the House for the past thirty years or more, has been involved with foreign policy, has made trips abroad and has spoken with foreign leaders. This discussions have not always, perhaps not generally, been in complete harmony with the White House. This is the way our system works, and while it is at times awkward, it is in fact a strength. A great strength. We are not weaker because of this open debate, we are stronger, much stronger because of it.

Now there may well be times when a single, clear, unchallenged position is necessary if a nation is to overcome the dangers it faces. We today, however, are not in such a time. The Russians at Stalingrad, the battle of Britain, Washington at Valley Forge. These are not like what we face today, for all the conservative histrionics to the contrary. We are vastly safer, vastly more secure than any of these situations, indeed than almost any people at any time in history. We are, beyond doubt, not in the kind of desperate situation that would preclude the normal state of affairs where a Speaker of the House of Representatives can freely go and speak with foreign leaders.

Pelosi's Plane

Well other folks have been covering this bamboozle (Josh Marshall's term for it, and correct in my opinion). See Josh Marshall (search throughout for stories on the Pelosi plane flap. Josh has done a number of posts on the issue) for the straight dope on it and see this post by Mark Kleiman for the sarcastic approach. This really is a bamboozle as Josh puts it. The Republican outrage is based entirely upon stuff made up by Republicans and easily refuted by minimal research. If this stuff really makes them mad, they should stop making it up.

Consider this statement from the House Sergeant at Arms that it he, not the Speaker, requested the larger plane, and did so out of security concerns. He issued that statement on February 8, but is it really the case that none of those who are speaking out against Speaker Pelosi thought to ask the Sergeant at Arms first before speaking out. If so, that only reflects badly on the character and intelligence of those speaking out. Then there is this statement by Madam Speaker herself which destroys the rest of the complaints by the complainers. One of the complaints raised the whiners is that if this larger more expensive plane is needed to fly cross country then she should just fly commercial. Of course, her response has been, since day one, "I'm going commercial".

As an additional note, are we all supposed to believe that the Republican leadership is really so lacking in brainpower that it didn't occur to them that given the security concerns, stopping the plan to refuel is not a good idea. I'm not an expert in this field, but I'm pretty sure that stopping to refuel makes the security a lot harder.

But for the good news on this issue and on the general hope that Democrats will fight back, it would appear that there will be hearings in the House on both Congressional and Executive use of military planes. Jack Murtha has requested that the Pentagon turn over records of such travel, covering the past two years, and to turn it over within a month. So this will look into how Hatart used his plane and the use of these planes by Cabinet level appointees, which is allowed under the law. After all the flap about Speaker Pelosi, abuses found in those areas should be entertaining.

Thoughts on the Majority Leader Election

First let me say that I realize that what I'm about to write might get me kicked out of the Democratic Party for failing to show consternation and dismay at everything the Democratic Party does. Nonetheless, it seems to me that in the just completed selection of Speaker of the House and Majority Leader, Nancy Pelosi has just shown that a) she has some 86 more supporters than does Steny Hoyer and b) she will fight for her position, even if she knows she will loose. Therefore, I conclude that whatever the talking heads of our oh so wise commentariat might conclude, she has just demonstrated to the actual members of the Democratic caucus that in the future it will be much better to work with her than to just oppose her. She can and will work with the caucus, but she will also fight. For the new members who want to have a future in the House of Representatives, fighting is probably not a good thing, so they can see that cooperation would be wise.

Let me put this another way. It is pretty clear from the actual actions of Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Jack Murtha and the rest of the Democratic caucus that the outcome of this election was not critical for the Democrats. Nancy Pelosi will be able to work well with either of the candidates and no great animosity exists here. Given that, she has just shown that she will fight over issues that are of no great importance and where the votes are strongly against her. Therefore, only a fool can doubt that she will fight over issues that are of great importance and where the vote is much closer. Therefore, if you are a new member (or an old member) from a reddish district such that a fractured and divided caucus will mean your stay in the House will likely be short lived, your best bet will be to compromise with the Madam Speaker and not oppose her. She. Will. Fight. Finally, and again for junior members of the caucus, and considering her popularity in San Francisco, the likelihood is if you decide to fight her a lot, is that in 2009 she will still be a member of the United States House of Representatives and you will be seeking employment elsewhere. That is the upshot of this weeks election.