Tucker Carlson and Jeffrey Sachs - Biden Most Destructive President in History

Jeffrey Sachs on how Joe Biden has been the most destructive president in American history, and how Donald Trump can repair the damage.

(0:00) The Regime Change in Syria
(8:48) What Is Greater Israel?
(21:45) Were Americans Involved in the Overthrowing of Assad?
(34:26) War With… pic.twitter.com/STxrm5haXD

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) December 16, 2024

Netanyahu: Collapse of Assad Regime

This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers.

We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the… pic.twitter.com/yJZE3AZZJn

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 8, 2024

Choose peace.

Asma Assad in Vogue

Remember - @voguemagazine loves Asma Assad.

They gave her a profile and called her “A rose in the desert” pic.twitter.com/sJElF1a6KT

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 8, 2024

The fact that Vogue has never done a feature on Melania Trump as First Lady is inexcusable.

Pelosi and Kerry With Assad

IMAGES FROM THE ARCHIVES: Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry with Assad. pic.twitter.com/KqSJqLjIFo

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) December 8, 2024

Meetings with Democrats that will live in infamy.

Assad Regime Falls

The Assad regime has fallen, marking the end of a 13-year civil war in Syria. pic.twitter.com/sSLWqRAgVo

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) December 8, 2024

Syria celebrates the fall of the Assad regime. pic.twitter.com/im8ctcfv1h

— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) December 8, 2024

Hopefully, the fall of the Assad Regime doesn't usher in a new era of brutality and persecution in Syria. That would be nothing to celebrate.

Syria's Torture Prisons

When dead Syrian refugee kids were washing up on beaches, this was happening. But cool guys, nominate his former VP. He'll change things. pic.twitter.com/sNzcMMTrh3

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) May 12, 2019

Chemical Attack in Syria

Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

....to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

John Kerry 'Unbelievably Small' (Video)

With all due respect, John Kerry is a terrible secretary of state.

He told Bashar al-Assad that a U.S. attack on Syria would be "an unbelievably small, limited kind of effort."

Here's video:



I'd like Kerry to define "unbelievably small, limited kind of effort."

Is this what he means?



This guy should resign immediately. Kerry is obviously not fit to hold the office.



John Kerry reporting for duty....

Syria, Sarin, and Obama

Obama, you have a problem, a BIG problem.

Syria.

From CNN:

The United States has evidence that the chemical weapon sarin has been used in Syria on a small scale, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday.

But numerous questions remain about the origins of the chemical and what impact its apparent use could have on the ongoing Syrian civil war and international involvement in it.

When asked if the intelligence community's conclusion pushed the situation across President Barack Obama's "red line" that could potentially trigger more U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war, Hagel said it's too soon to say.

"We need all the facts. We need all the information," he said. "What I've just given you is what our intelligence community has said they know. As I also said, they are still assessing and they are still looking at what happened, who was responsible and the other specifics that we'll need."

In a letter sent to lawmakers before Hagel's announcement, the White House said that intelligence analysts have concluded "with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin."

In the letter, signed by White House legislative affairs office Director Miguel Rodriguez, the White House said the "chain of custody" of the chemicals was not clear and that intelligence analysts could not confirm the circumstances under which the sarin was used, including the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

...But, the letter said, "we do believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have originated with the Assad regime."

What now, Obama?

From FOX News:

Secretary of State John Kerry further confirmed that there were two documented instances of chemical weapons use.

The assessment is likely to prompt calls for more serious consideration of intervention. President Obama has said the use of chemical weapons would be a "game-changer" in the U.S. position on intervening in the two-year-old Syrian civil war. Obama said last August that "a red line for us" would be the movement or use of chemical weapons, adding "that would change my calculus."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested Thursday the "red line" had been crossed. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also said the assessment is "deeply troubling and, if correct, means that President Obama's red line has certainly been crossed."

Poor Obama.

I don't think he can "lead from behind" in this instance.

Being president is hard. It's not all star-studded soirées at the White House and shuttling around on Air Force One and bowing.
__________________

Obama Is Looking for Reasons to Delay Response to Syria's Chemical Weapons Use

Der Spiegel, Al-Maliki, and Obama

Der Spiegel + Al-Maliki + Obama = CONFUSION


The lib media drooled over reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki endorsed Barack Obama's plan for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Obama's triumphant Middle East jaunt--

He sets foot in the troubled region and quickly brings harmony and resolution.

Incredible!

Apparently, reports of Obama's success have been greatly exaggerated.

From FOX News:

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has not endorsed any specific timeframe for possible U.S. troops withdrawals, a government spokesman said Sunday.

The statement by Ali al-Dabbagh came after an article was published by Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine which quoted al-Maliki as favoring the 16-month withdrawal window proposed by Barack Obama.

The article quoted al-Maliki as saying “U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.”

Al-Dabbagh said al-Maliki’s views were “misunderstood and mistranslated” by Der Spiegel and that the prime minister backs a general vision of pulling out U.S. combat forces based on talks with Washington “and in the light of the continuing positive developments on the ground.”

Al-Dabbagh said statements by al-Maliki or any members of the Iraqi government “should not be understood as support to any U.S. presidential candidates.”

From CNN:

A German magazine quoted Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as saying that he backed a proposal by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months.

...But a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the possibility of troop withdrawal was based on the continuance of security improvements, echoing statements that the White House made Friday after a meeting between al-Maliki and U.S. President Bush.

In the magazine interview, Al-Maliki said his remarks did not indicate that he was endorsing Obama over presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.

This sort of misunderstanding is typical of Dems who travel to the Middle East and engage in unsanctioned diplomacy.

Remember Nancy Pelosi's disastrous Terrorist-palooza Tour in spring of 2007?

Remember how she screwed up royally?

After a meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Ms. Pelosi announced that she had delivered a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. What's more, she added, Mr. Assad was ready to "resume the peace process" as well. Having announced this seeming diplomatic breakthrough, Ms. Pelosi suggested that her Kissingerian shuttle diplomacy was just getting started. "We expressed our interest in using our good offices in promoting peace between Israel and Syria," she said.

Only one problem: The Israeli prime minister entrusted Ms. Pelosi with no such message. "What was communicated to the U.S. House Speaker does not contain any change in the policies of Israel," said a statement quickly issued by the prime minister's office. In fact, Mr. Olmert told Ms. Pelosi that "a number of Senate and House members who recently visited Damascus received the impression that despite the declarations of Bashar Assad, there is no change in the position of his country regarding a possible peace process with Israel." In other words, Ms. Pelosi not only misrepresented Israel's position but was virtually alone in failing to discern that Mr. Assad's words were mere propaganda.

Embarrassing.

Then there was Jimmy Carter's April 2008 meetings with Hamas leaders, a year after Pelosi made such a fool of herself.

The Associated Press reported:

Former President Carter said Monday that the Islamic group Hamas was willing to accept the Jewish state as a "neighbor next door," but the militants did not match their upbeat words with concrete steps to halt violence.

Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, instead recycled previous offers, including a 10-year truce if Israel takes the unlikely step of withdrawing from the West Bank and Jerusalem first.

Hamas has repeatedly confounded observers with its conflicting messages. Actions on the ground — seven rockets were fired on Israel from Hamas-ruled Gaza Monday, including one that wounded a 4-year-old boy — contradicted the Islamic militant group's positive words about coexistence and a truce.

And a leader of the Hamas military wing, which carried out a twin suicide bombing on the Gaza border Saturday, said his group would step up attacks against Israel in coming days.

The salvo of rockets came despite a last-minute phone call from Carter, urging a one-month halt to attacks on Israel, to gain some international goodwill and defuse tensions.

These Dems and their lib media mouthpieces attempt to shame the Bush administration.

The Dems sit down with leaders and problems are solved or progress is made. They achieve what Bush cannot. They get endorsements from leaders.

Then, there's always that need to backpedal.

It's a familiar dance, and a highly embarrassing one for the Dems.

John McCain accomplished more by staying in the states and appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien than Obama has.
__________________

Video here.

Jimmy Carter's Delusions of Middle East Peace

If Jimmy Carter doesn't regret his meetings with Hamas, he should.

The group has humiliated him. And of course, Carter humiliated himself.

JERUSALEM -- Former President Carter said Monday that the Islamic group Hamas was willing to accept the Jewish state as a "neighbor next door," but the militants did not match their upbeat words with concrete steps to halt violence.

Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, instead recycled previous offers, including a 10-year truce if Israel takes the unlikely step of withdrawing from the West Bank and Jerusalem first.

Hamas has repeatedly confounded observers with its conflicting messages. Actions on the ground — seven rockets were fired on Israel from Hamas-ruled Gaza Monday, including one that wounded a 4-year-old boy — contradicted the Islamic militant group's positive words about coexistence and a truce.

And a leader of the Hamas military wing, which carried out a twin suicide bombing on the Gaza border Saturday, said his group would step up attacks against Israel in coming days.

The salvo of rockets came despite a last-minute phone call from Carter, urging a one-month halt to attacks on Israel, to gain some international goodwill and defuse tensions.

"I did the best I could," Carter said of his conversation with Hamas supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, pressing him to declare a one-month truce. "They turned me down, and I think they're wrong."

This is ridiculous. Carter continues to claim that he didn't go to the Middle East to negotiate anything.

He said so again in an interview with Reena Ninan on FOX News.

NINAN: One Israeli official actually said to me, 'We don't know whose behalf he's negotiating.' Why are you doing this? And would you have appreciated someone undermining your administration?

CARTER: First, I'm not undermining anything. And secondly, I'm not negotiating. I have no role to play as a mediator or a negotiator. I'm just here representing myself and the Carter Center, no one else, with no authority at all. I don't want any authority. And my decision was just to talk to people who must be involved in the final peace agreement, who are excluded at this point from any discussions leading to a peace agreement.

One minute, Carter says he has no authority and he's not negotiating anything. Then the next, Carter says he did the best he could and Hamas turned him down. That sounds like negotiations to me.

One-month truce. Ten-year truce. Hamas is ready to accept the Jewish state's right to "live as a neighbor next door in peace." Whatever.

On Monday, Hamas fired seven rockets on Israel, wounding a 4-year-old boy.

The New York Times reports:

Jimmy Carter said here on Monday that in talks in Damascus, Syria, over the last several days, he obtained a significant concession from the militant group Hamas regarding Israeli-Palestinian peace and found Syrian leaders eager for a full peace treaty with Israel.

Mr. Carter said he extracted a promise from Hamas to respect the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip negotiated by Hamas’s rivals in the Palestinian Authority if it were ratified by a referendum of the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, Syrian leaders told him, he said, that “about 85 percent” of the issues between Syria’s government and Israel had been resolved in prior negotiations and that it wanted a peace deal “as soon as possible.”

Given the general pessimism surrounding Israeli-Arab peace, Mr. Carter’s upbeat assessment had a contrarian quality to it, as did his decision to meet in Damascus with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and the Hamas leadership. The Bush administration has shunned Syria and considers Hamas a terrorist group, as does Israel, and had asked him not to hold the meetings.

Israelis have not generally welcomed Mr. Carter on this trip. Many of them consider him hostile to Israel’s interests, especially since the publication of his book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” in 2006.

On Monday, Mr. Carter called the agreement on a Palestinian state, obtained from Hamas in writing, important because it appeared to mean that Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip last June, would not disrupt negotiations or implementation of any accord if the Palestinian people supported it in a free vote.

“If the agreement calls for a two-state solution and the recognition of Israel and Palestine, Hamas will, in effect, recognize Israel, if the people agree on the plan,” Mr. Carter told the Israel Council on Foreign Relations in a speech here.

In a subsequent interview, Mr. Carter struck a more cautious note, saying, “I’m not claiming it’s a breakthrough.” He added, “I don’t have any control over whether or not Hamas does what they tell me.”

Hamas’s charter calls for Israel’s destruction, and it has consistently refused to recognize Israel. But Mr. Carter says that Hamas is coming around to the idea of a two-state solution.

...Mr. Carter had made several other requests to Hamas but was turned down. Those included a prisoner exchange and the declaration of a 30-day unilateral cease-fire with Israel.

I think someone needs to explain to Carter what "negotiate" means.

His claims of obtaining a significant concession and extracting a promise of an agreement on a Palestinian state, obtained from Hamas in writing, sounds like he was taking it upon himself to negotiate. Carter says that Hamas turned down his several other requests and the declaration of a cease-fire.

OF COURSE, HE WAS NEGOTIATING AND ACTING AS A MEDIATOR.

He was acting against the wishes of the Bush administration. Carter says he was just talking to people.

I don't consider his meetings with Hamas to be just typical talking to people, chit chat.

...Mr. Carter said in the interview that he found the Hamas leadership, including Mr. Meshal, to be clear-thinking, educated people who gave no sign of fanaticism, although he did condemn in harsh terms their use of violence. During his meetings, he said, they did not break for prayer or talk of holy land or God. “It was secular talk,” he said.

Mr. Carter also said that what he learned about Syrian intentions toward Israel might prove more significant than the Hamas agreement.

He asserted that Mr. Assad had said that there were only a few details left to work out on a full peace treaty but that the Bush administration was discouraging Israel from proceeding because of the Americans’ other concerns about Syria, especially related to Iraq.

“All of our group were surprisingly impressed with his strength and knowledge of the details in contrast to what we had heard from propaganda,” Mr. Carter said of the Syrian president. He emphasized that for Syria, a deal with Israel had to be brokered by the United States.

Once again, Carter has high praise for terrorists.

They're "clear-thinking, educated people who gave no sign of fanaticism."

I guess Carter didn't watch any Hamas TV programs for kids, like the puppet show of a child stabbing Bush to death and turning the White House into a mosque. No, nothing fanatical about that. That's the product of clear-thinking, educated people.

It sickens me that Carter is charging the U.S. government with spreading propaganda about Syrian president Bashar al-Assad while he disseminates Assad's lines about the Bush administration discouraging Israel from proceeding with a peace treaty because of the Americans' concerns about Syria related to Iraq.

Carter paints Assad as the good guy and Bush as blocking peace efforts.

What an anti-American tool!

This is another disgrace for Carter. He doesn't understand the terrorists' goal. It's not peace. It's the destruction of Israel.

I think Carter may be clinically delusional.

The fact is by continuing the terrorism and lobbing the seven rockets at Israel on Monday, the day Carter was bragging about the Middle East being on the verge of peace, Hamas spit in Carter's face; sort of the way Carter spit in the face of the Bush administration.

What goes around comes around.

Ahmadinejad at Ground Zero

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes me sick.

It's unthinkable that anyone would even consider that it would be appropriate to allow this scumbag lowlife sponsor of terrorism to lay a wreath at the site of the World Trade Center.

As we speak, Iran is working to kill Americans in Iraq.

I don't like the idea of Ahmadinejad being on American soil let alone having him go to the hallowed grounds of the 9/11 attacks.

NEW YORK -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked permission to lay a wreath at the World Trade Center site when he comes to New York City next week, but the request was denied, a police official said Wednesday.

The U.S. also has denied a visa to Iran's United Nations ambassador in Geneva to attend next week's General Assembly meeting because he was involved in the 1979 U.S. hostage crisis, a U.N. official said.

Ahmadinejad, who is arriving Sunday to address the United Nations' General Assembly, had asked this month for permission to visit the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

The request to enter the fenced-in site was rejected because of ongoing construction there, Browne said.

"Requests for the Iranian president to visit the immediate area would also be opposed by the NYPD on security grounds," Browne said.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, told reporters Wednesday that the United States would not support Iran's attempt to use the site for a "photo op."

...Browne said Ahmadinejad had asked permission from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, U.S. Secret Service and police department. The police and the Secret Service provide security to visiting heads of state.

The Port Authority, which owns the trade center site and is the only agency that could grant permission to go inside, said it attended a meeting with police regarding dignitary visits, not specifically about Ahmadinejad. At that meeting, it was determined that no dignitaries would be allowed inside the site due to ongoing construction, said Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman.

It wasn't clear whether Ahmadinejad wanted to descend to the base of the trade center site, where the twin towers once stood, or lay a wreath on a public sidewalk outside the site.

Mohammad Mir Ali Mohammadi, spokesman for the Iranian mission to the U.N., said he was not notified officially that Ahmadinejad would not be allowed at the site, but said it was unfortunate.

"President Ahmadinejad intended to lay a wreath at the site of ground zero in order to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorists attack of Sept. 11, 2001. We are hopeful that we can still work something out with the police department," he said.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said a visit to ground zero "is a matter for the city of New York, but it seems more than odd that the president of a country that is a state sponsor of terror would visit ground zero."

I suppose the likes of Democrat presidential candidates Barack Obama and terrorist Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's buddy Dennis Kucinich would jump at the opportunity to meet with Mahmoud.

During a Democrat debate on July 23, 2007, Obama said that he would be "willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of [his] administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea."



If as president Obama promises to meet with Ahmadinejad, he must be willing to spend some time with him while he's in New York.

I'm sure Kucinich would love a photo-op with the Iranian president.

They may have second thoughts about appearing with Ahmadinejad at Ground Zero, but they surely would have no problem meeting with him.

While in Syria and speaking about President Bush, Kucinich said, "[O]ur president is not understanding the mountain of evidence which indicates what a failure the policy in Iraq has been. Not only failure but how totally wrong it was from the beginning. Because you can talk about something being a failure and perhaps the cause may have been correct. But in this case, the cause was wrong from the beginning."

Yes, Ahmadinejad shares a lot of common ground with the Democrats.

The Dems hate Bush, just like Mahmoud. The Dems insist that the U.S. has failed in Iraq, just like Mahmoud.

That would be the mother of all Lefty photo-ops -- The Dems locking arms with Ahmadinejad at the WTC site.

I have an idea.

Jimmy Carter should play host to the Iranian president while he's in the U.S. He should invite Ahmadinejad to his farm. They could talk about the evil Israelis.

I don't think Ahmadinejad would try to take Carter hostage or anything.

I could be wrong.
________________________

Ahmadinejad: In his own words--

ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM:

"If anyone shows aggression to the Iranian nation’s rights, Iran will wipe the dark stain of regret on their foreheads."

"If the world accepts Iran’s desire then fine, but if it wants to ignore the rights of the Iranian nation then Iran will know what path to pursue."

"If we stand strong the enemies will be defeated in the face of the Iranian nation’s will."

"Those who get sad at the progress and happiness of others are suffering from mental and psychological problems, so they should find a way to cure themselves."

"More than two billion people were happy and celebrated when they heard the news about Iran's nuclear achievement."


ON U.S. FORCES IN IRAQ:

"They invade the shrine and bomb there because they oppose God and justice. These passive activities are the acts of a group of defeated Zionists and occupiers who intended to hit our emotions."

"You (the United States) have to know that such an act will not save you from the anger of Muslim nations."


ON THE HOLOCAUST:

"How comes that insulting the prophet of Muslims worldwide is justified within the framework of press freedom, but investigating about the fairy tale Holocaust is not?"

"The real Holocaust is what is happening in Palestine where the Zionists avail themselves of the fairy tale of Holocaust as blackmail and justification for killing children and women and making innocent people homeless."


ON THE DANISH CARTOONS DEPICTING MOHAMMED:

"Those who insulted the prophet should know that you cannot obscure the sun with a handful of dust. The dust will just get back and blind your own eyes."


ON ISRAEL AND AMERICA:

"Today, it is the United States, Britain and the Zionist regime which are doomed to disappear as they have moved far away from the teachings of God. It is a divine promise."

"They become upset when they hear any voice of truth-seeking. They think they are the absolute rulers of the world."

"My words were the Iranian nation's words."

"Westerners are free to comment, but their reactions are invalid."

"The fighting in Palestine is a war between the (whole) Islamic nation and the world of arrogance (U.S. and Israel)."

"Today, Palestinians are representing the Islamic nation against arrogance."

"Despite the barbaric and criminal nature of the occupiers of Jerusalem, the regime and its Western supporters do not even have the power to give Iran a nasty look."


ON ISRAEL:

"The Zionist regime is the standard bearer of invasion, occupation and Satan."

"With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine. By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future."

"Israel is destined for destruction and it will disappear soon."

"Today, it has been proven that the Zionists are not opposed only to Islam and the Muslims. They are opposed to humanity as a whole. They want to dominate the entire world. They would even sacrifice the Western regimes for their own sake. I have said in Tehran, and I say it again here - I say to the leaders of some Western countries: Stop supporting these corrupt people."

"There is no doubt that the new wave (of attacks) in Palestine will wipe off this stigma (Israel) from the face of the Islamic world."

"Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury, (while) any (Islamic leader) who recognizes the Zionist regime means he is acknowledging the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world."

"As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

"We ask the West to remove what they created sixty years ago and if they do not listen to our recommendations, then the Palestinian nation and other nations will eventually do this for them."

"Do the removal of Israel before it is too late and save yourself from the fury of regional nations."

"Some 60 years have passed since the end of World War II. Why should the people of Germany and Palestine pay now for a war in which the current generation was not involved?"

"We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live," he said.

"Despite the barbaric and criminal nature of the occupiers of Jerusalem, the regime and its Western supporters do not even have the power to give Iran a nasty look."


ON DEMOCRACY:

"We did not have a revolution in order to have democracy."


ON WAR AND PEACE:

"Behold, the rage of the Muslim peoples is accumulating. The rage of the Muslim peoples may soon reach the point of explosion. If that day comes, they must know that the waves of this explosion will not be restricted to the boundaries of our region. They will definitely reach the corrupt forces that support this fake regime."

Should President Bush and the United States embrace this madman?

Should we allow Ahmadinejad to exploit Ground Zero?

The answer is obvious.

No. Never.

He's evil. Libs don't like to use words like good and evil; but Ahmadinejad is evil.
_________________________

UPDATE:

Ahmadinejad's plan to visit Ground Zero may go forward.

Read more.

Rudy Giuliani released this statement:

"Under no circumstances should the NYPD or any other American authority assist President Ahmadinejad in visiting Ground Zero. This is a man who has made threats against America and Israel, is harboring bin Laden's son and other al-Qaeda leaders, is shipping arms to Iraqi insurgents and is pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. Assisting Ahmadinejad in touring Ground Zero - hallowed ground for all Americans - is outrageous."

I agree completely.

Ahmadinejad should receive no assistance from any American authority if he insists on going to Ground Zero.

My feeling is he can go to Columbia University or hell.

Dennis Kucinich: Odd Man Out

Dennis Kucinich is having a banner September.

After cozying up to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and giving a "Hanoi Jane"-style interview on Syrian TV, Kucinich refused to vote for a resolution to commemorate 9/11.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Democratic presidential candidate and no stranger to contrarian views, was the sole congressman Tuesday to vote against the House's Sept. 11 commemoration resolution.

Tuesday's nonbinding resolution was a relatively short document. It had 12 "whereas" clauses — stating things like what happened the day of the terrorist attacks, who was affected and how terrorists have been targeted since then — and six resolution paragraphs establishing Sept. 11 as a day of remembrance, extending sympathies to families of victims who died and honoring those who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"It is important that Congress wake up to the truth and exercise its obligation under the Constitution to save our nation from being destroyed from the lies that took us into Iraq, the lies that keep us there, the lies that are being used to set the stage for war against Iran and the lies that have undermined our basic civil liberties here at home," Kucinich said in a statement.

"The September 11 resolution that Congress considers today should have made reference to those matters. It does not, so I cannot support it," Kucinich said, also calling for a halt for further war funding and the troops to be brought home.

He was outvoted 334-1. Ninety-eight members weren't present; for the most part, they were either attending Sept. 11 commemorations or the out-of-town memorial service for Ohio Rep. Paul Gillmor, or they had departed town early for the Jewish holidays.

...Kucinich said he memorials those who died in the attacks as well as troops in the field, but opposed the wording of the resolution.

"I honor the memory of those who died on September 11 and extend sympathies to their family members and to those who lost their lives trying to save lives. I support the troops," Kucinich said in the statement he issued before casting his vote.

What is Kucinich doing???

Is he vying for the title of the most destestable twit in Congress?

This Democrat who wants to be President of the United States objected to signing on to a nonbinding resolution to establish September 11 as a day of remembrance.

Contemptible.
____________________

Roll call vote



(h/t Captain's Quarters)

Dennis Kucinich and His Excellency

This video makes me sick. Truly.

On Syrian TV, Democrat presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich discusses his recent meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He degrades President Bush. He smears the accomplishments of the troops.

It is positively disgusting. Kucinich rattles off the usual Dem talking points. It's not like I haven't heard it all before, but there's something extremely disturbing about the images of him slamming the country with the Arabic subtitles crawling at the bottom of the frame.

Knowing that our brave military men and women are in the region, fighting for our country, and hearing Kucinich prattle on about Bush's lies makes me nauseous. This man is a presidential candidate!

This interview displays just how despicable the Democrats are.

KUCINICH: Well, of course, my presence in Syria, in meeting with President Assad, is so that people are aware that there are members of Congress, and in this case, a presidential candidate, who believes that Syria has a very important role to play in bringing about stability, in participating in a political process, which will help create the conditions which can lead to peace.

But this must come about from communication, and so those of us who want to see this change are in a position to model the change that we hope to occur.

So it was important to meet with his Excellency to exchange views as to how we can create a more peaceful world.

INTERVIEWER: So, how did the meeting go?

KUCINICH: It was a meeting where President Assad showed a real desire to play a role in helping to create a peaceful settlement of the conditions in Iraq, as well as a grander approach towards creating peace. So it was a very important meeting, and I felt honored to have the chance to speak with him.

KUCINICH: But I love my country, and I want my country to be loved by the world.

INTERVIEWER: Which is not happening at the moment.

KUCINICH: I know and that hurts me. It hurts my heart to know how America is seen in places around the world right now. But in my own way, I'm trying to change that, and the best way that we can change that is by telling the truth.

The truth is the war was wrong.

The truth is that great damage and harm has been done to the Iraqi people.

The truth is that we have to find a way to heal that.

The truth is that we have to reach out to the world to get help.

And so all those things are what I try to do to follow the path of the truth, and I think that as America shows its goodness once again, we can cause the world to love America once again. And that's what I'm about.

KUCINICH: The fact of the matter is we are all being weakened by continuing a war that's based on a lie. This war was based on lies. Iraq didn't have the weapons of mass destruction. It wasn't connected to 9/11. It had nothing to do with al Qaeda's role in 9/11. What are we there for?

So I have stood up repeatedly and said: "Look, stop the war." Once the war started: "Here's that plan to get out, and stop funding the war."

And so we've had many opportunities now, and I think it's very clear that we now have to focus on a peace plan, reach out to the world community, and that can only happen with those of us who are involved in the process meeting with people to see if there is an interest.

And I'll tell you, President Assad, today, indicated a very strong interest in playing a role to help bring about stability in Iraq, and the fact of the matter is -- whether the Bush administration wants to admit it or not -- that President Assad is actually helping by providing a sanctuary to which Iraqi refugees can come.

This is a great humanitarian crisis that's been created by this war. And Syria is one of the few countries in the world who has opened its arms to the Iraqi refugees, who have come here with only the clothes on their back, and looking for a way to survive. It is an extraordinary gesture on the part of the Syrian government that they would provide an opportunity for people to save their lives.

And so this is something that I think needs to be recognized. And it also shows that here is a man, President Assad, who should be respected and appreciated for the role that he has played.

INTERVIEWER: So does George Bush actually not see himself as having failed in Iraq? Does he thing that he has done something right?

KUCINICH: I would expect that he probably believes that he's done the right thing.... And of course, this part of the tragedy -- that our president is not understanding the mountain of evidence which indicates what a failure the policy in Iraq has been. Not only failure but how totally wrong it was from the beginning. Because you can talk about something being a failure and perhaps the cause may have been correct. But in this case, the cause was wrong from the beginning.

In the Christian Bible, there is a phrase that says: "That which is crooked cannot be made straight."

The effort against Iraq was dishonest, or crooked, from the beginning, and nothing good can come from it, except: The international community is needed to become involved to put together a peace-keeping and security force that can move in as the U.S. determines that it must end the occupation, close the bases, bring the troops home.

That's the direction we must take. But we have to understand that the policy was based on a lie.

I hear this from the Dems all the time. This stuff shouldn't shock me anymore, but for some reason this really bothers me. Maybe it's watching the video after watching the Democrats rip at Gen. Petraeus that has me less tolerant of the Dems' slime.

Kucinich has disgraced himself.

Worse, he disgraced the troops; just like every other Democrat who has besmirched the character of Gen. Petraeus, leader of those brave troops honorably serving and carrying out their mission in Iraq.

Dem Presidential Candidate in Syria

Democrat presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich traced Nancy Pelosi's footsteps.

He, too, had a meeting with Syrian president, terrorist Bashar al-Assad.

From an AP report in the Jerusalem Post:

US Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich, on a Mideast visit that included a stop in Syria, said the country lambasted by the Bush administration deserves credit for taking in more than a million Iraqi refugees.

Kucinich, a strong anti-war opponent who trails far in the US presidential polls, also said he won't visit Iraq on his trip to the region because he considers the US military deployment there illegal.

"I feel the United States is engaging in an illegal occupation ... I don't want to bless that occupation with my presence," he said in an interview in Lebanon, after visiting Syria. "I will not do it."

Kucinich, who accused the Bush administration of policies that have destabilized the Mideast, met with Syrian President Bashar Assad during his visit to Damascus. He said Assad was receptive to his ideas of "strength through peace."

He also praised Syria for taking in Iraqi refugees.

"What most people are not aware of is that Syria has taken in more than 1.5 million Iraqi refugees," Kucinich said. "The Syrian government has actually shown a lot of compassion in keeping its doors open, and being a host for so many refugees."

Isn't that special?

It's Kucinich as Jane Fonda.

Here's a press release from Kucinich's campaign:

In a meeting today with Dennis Kucinich, US Democratic Presidential candidate, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that Syria would be willing to participate in a multinational conference and peacekeeping force to help Iraq to manage its transition from occupied country to sovereign nation.

Assad made these assurances and other observations in a two-hour meeting with Kucinich, who traveled to Syria to discuss a peace initiative which has arisen out of his anti-war work in the House of Representatives. President Assad agreed with Kucinich that various US demands for the privatization of Iraq's oil and partition of Iraq would mean a continuation of war.

"We must stand for strength through peace, for a sovereign and unified Iraq. President Assad is willing for Syria to play a significant role in assisting in the stabilization of Iraq," said Kucinich. "President Assad knows that an international peace keeping and security force must be organized and ready to deploy in order to facilitate the end of the occupation. He understands that the US cannot leave a vacuum in Iraq, but that at the present time the US occupation is fueling the insurgency. He is recommending a parallel political process involving an Iraqi national conference, the disarming of militias, and the building up of an Iraqi army which would eventually takeover from international peace keepers."

It's one thing when Kucinich acts like a doofus in the U.S. It's quite another thing when he starts engaging in diplomatic talks with a foreign leader on foreign soil.

Of course, Kucinich and Assad have a common bound. They both hate Bush. They both want to undermine him. They both are undermining the U.S.

I'll give Kucinich the benefit of the doubt and assume that he doesn't intend to be a traitor.

Too bad he decided to act like one.
____________________

Calling Diplomat Kucinich...

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian air defenses opened fire on Israeli aircraft after they violated Syrian airspace, Syrian officials said Thursday, sharply elevating cross-border tensions.

The aircraft broke the sound barrier as they flew over northern Syria and "dropped munitions" onto deserted areas overnight after coming under Syrian fire, a military spokesman said, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency.

The incident is likely to stoke concerns that tensions could lead to military conflict between Syria and Israel, though both countries have repeatedly said in recent months that they do not seek a war.

Israel has demanded Syria stop its support for the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups, which have both been holding captured Israeli soldiers for more than a year.

Syria, in turn, has increasingly pushed its demands for the return of the Israeli-held Golan Heights and is concerned that it is being left out of a U.S.-brokered Mideast peace conference due to be held in November.

Syrian officials did not say how many Israeli aircraft entered its airspace or what type they were. Israel's army spokesman declined to comment, saying he could not discuss military operations.

Syria stopped short of accusing the aircraft of bombing its territory. Asked if Israel had attacked Syria, Syrian Cabinet Minister Buthaina Shaaban said on Al-Jazeera television's English service that the aircraft violated Syrian airspace.

...The Syrian military spokesman said "air defense units confronted" the Israeli aircraft and "forced them to leave after they dropped some munitions in deserted areas without causing any human or material damage."

"We warn the Israeli enemy government against this flagrant aggressive act, and retain the right to respond in an appropriate way," the spokesman said.

...The Syrian military spokesman did not specify whether the military used surface-to-air missiles or anti-aircraft artillery against the aircraft.

Syria is believed to be unhappy that other Arab countries are headed to a peace meeting in November at which the United States hopes for a high-profile meeting between the Palestinians and Israelis, and perhaps also with Saudi officials.

Syria has long disputed any notion that a comprehensive Arab peace deal can be reached unless it also involves some resolution of the Golan Heights, which it wants back in full.

What now, Dem presidential wannabes?

Russ Feingold and March 31, 2008

Russ Feingold is obsessed with setting deadlines for America's defeat.

He continues to push for a magic date to end American military involvement in Iraq.

He's picked so many deadlines that it's hard to keep track.

Let's review.

On August 18, 2005, Feingold declared that American troops should be out of Iraq by December 31, 2006.

On June 19, 2006, Feingold announced that he and John Kerry would be introducing an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would set the deadline for American troop withdrawal as July 1, 2007.

On April 2, 2007, Feingold picked yet another date for troop withdrawal, this time with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as a cosponsor, March 31, 2008.

Obviously, the December 31, 2006 deadline came and went. The July 1, 2007 deadline was also abandoned.

Feingold isn't giving up on the March 31, 2008 mark.

He released a statement today reaffirming his commitment to giving our enemies a head's up on American troop withdrawl from Iraq.

Washington D.C -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today that he will continue his effort to end the open-ended military mission in Iraq and safely redeploy U.S. troops out of the country. Feingold said he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will offer the Feingold-Reid bill requiring troops to be redeployed by March 31, 2008, after which funding for ongoing military operations, with three narrow exceptions, would end. The bill will be offered as an amendment to Defense Department authorization legislation that the Senate is expected to consider as early as the end of June.

“Congress took a step backwards last month when it gave President Bush a blank check to continue his open-ended mission in Iraq,” Feingold said. “We need to keep the pressure on the President and supporters of his disastrous Iraq policy, and the way to do this is by voting on legislation that will end the mistake in Iraq. We should not wait until September to change course, as some have suggested, and we should not be satisfied with proposals that sound good but won’t actually end the war. The way to end this disastrous war is to pass the Feingold-Reid legislation to safely redeploy our troops. No more Americans should die unnecessarily for a war that has over-burdened our military and weakened our national security.”

Feingold won't let up on telling the world when American troops will leave Iraq.

In all his brilliance, he insists on marking the calendar with the magic date.

I'm sure Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, Taliban and al Qaeda leaders, and all other nutjobs, terrorists, and enemies of America inside and outside of Iraq must be grateful to Feingold for pursuing a target date for them.

No doubt, they support the idea of a deadline for America's retreat from Iraq, and consider Feingold a reliable ally.

His efforts, if successful, certainly would make their planning so much easier.

Bush to Dems: BRING IT ON

The Democrats love to talk.

Nancy Pelosi runs around the Middle East talking to terrorists and completely misrepresenting the policies of the U.S. and our allies.

So many Dems are media addicts, compelled to sniff out a microphone and a camera.

Talk, talk, talk.

Now, President Bush wants to talk to the Dems.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Tuesday invited Democrats to discuss their standoff over a war-spending bill, but he made clear he would not change his position opposing troop withdrawals. The White House bluntly said the meeting would not be a negotiation.

"It's time for them to get the job done, so I'm inviting congressional leaders from both parties — both political parties — to meet with me at the White House next week," Bush said in a speech to an American Legion audience in Fairfax, Va.

"At this meeting, the leaders in Congress can report on progress on getting an emergency spending bill to my desk," Bush said. "We can discuss the way forward on a bill that is a clean bill, a bill that funds our troops without artificial timetables for withdrawal and without handcuffing our generals on the ground. I'm hopeful we'll see some results soon from the Congress."

Will the Dems accept the invitation?

Will they say it's pointless to talk?

Will they fall back on their tired, old "This president doesn't listen" line if they do meet?

If the Dems think that talking to Syrian Bashar al-Assad isn't an exercise in futility, then they can certainly talk to President Bush.

I think President Bush deserves the same courtesy from the Dems that they shower on America's enemies.

Pelosi Train Wreck

Nancy Pelosi has screwed up royally.

Yesterday, when she flew to Damascus to cozy up to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, I said Pelosi disgraced herself and the Democrat Party.

Her trip most definitely has backfired. Instead of embarrassing President Bush, she became the embarrassment.

CNN reported:

Syrian cabinet minister Buthayna Sha'ban expressed his support for the visit and said, "Syria stands for freedom and for peace, and so does Nancy Pelosi."

The Syrian media also praised the visit as a potential breakthrough in icy U.S.-Syrian relations, with the Syria Times calling her a "brave lady on an invaluable mission."

What a load!

"Syria stands for freedom and for peace, and so does Nancy Pelosi."

The Syrians and terrorist appeasers like Jimmy Carter applaud Pelosi but she isn't getting rave reviews across the board from her fellow libs.

The liberal propaganda promulgator Washington Post slams Pelosi in the editorial, "Pratfall in Damascus."

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. After a meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Ms. Pelosi announced that she had delivered a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. What's more, she added, Mr. Assad was ready to "resume the peace process" as well. Having announced this seeming diplomatic breakthrough, Ms. Pelosi suggested that her Kissingerian shuttle diplomacy was just getting started. "We expressed our interest in using our good offices in promoting peace between Israel and Syria," she said.

Only one problem: The Israeli prime minister entrusted Ms. Pelosi with no such message. "What was communicated to the U.S. House Speaker does not contain any change in the policies of Israel," said a statement quickly issued by the prime minister's office. In fact, Mr. Olmert told Ms. Pelosi that "a number of Senate and House members who recently visited Damascus received the impression that despite the declarations of Bashar Assad, there is no change in the position of his country regarding a possible peace process with Israel." In other words, Ms. Pelosi not only misrepresented Israel's position but was virtually alone in failing to discern that Mr. Assad's words were mere propaganda.

Ow! That has to hurt.

..."We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Ms. Pelosi grandly declared.

Never mind that that statement is ludicrous: As any diplomat with knowledge of the region could have told Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Assad is a corrupt thug whose overriding priority at the moment is not peace with Israel but heading off U.N. charges that he orchestrated the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The really striking development here is the attempt by a Democratic congressional leader to substitute her own foreign policy for that of a sitting Republican president.

Yikes! When The Post criticizes Madame Pelosi in such a humiliating fashion, you know she's made a major boo-boo.

...Ms. Pelosi's attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish.

Pelosi, the fool.

The first woman Speaker of the House is deemed a buffoon.

As stinging as the criticism from Left-wing media outlets is, the rebuke from Israel is most damning to Pelosi's credibiltiy as a leader.

From The Jerusalem Post:

The Prime Minister's Office issued a rare "clarification" Wednesday that, in gentle diplomatic terms, contradicted US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's statement in Damascus that she had brought a message from Israel about a willingness to engage in peace talks.

According to the statement, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert emphasized in his meeting with Pelosi on Sunday that "although Israel is interested in peace with Syria, that country continues to be part of the Axis of Evil and a force that encourages terror in the entire Middle East."

Olmert, the statement clarified, told Pelosi that Syria's sincerity about a genuine peace with Israel would be judged by its willingness to "cease its support of terror, cease its sponsoring of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations, refrain from providing weapons to Hizbullah and bringing about the destabilizing of Lebanon, cease its support of terror in Iraq, and relinquish the strategic ties it is building with the extremist regime in Iran."

The statement said Olmert had not communicated to Pelosi any change in Israeli policy on Damascus.

Apparently, Pelosi was so set on mugging for the media as an agent of peace that she ignored the inconvenient reality.

The officials said Olmert had told Pelosi that he thought her trip to Damascus was a mistake, and that when she asked - nevertheless - whether he had a message for Assad, Olmert said Syria should first stop supporting terrorism and "act like a normal country," and only then would Israel be willing to hold discussions.

The first part of that message, the officials said, was lost in what was reported from Damascus on Wednesday.

With all due respect to the Speaker, she has exposed herself as incompetent and a fraud. At the very least, she has to be seen as easily confused and a bad listener.

Now, Pelosi has moved on to Saudi Arabia.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Saudi Arabia's unelected advisory council Thursday, the closest thing in the kingdom to a legislature, where she tried out her counterpart's chair — a privilege no Saudi woman can have because women cannot become legislators.

Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House, said she raised the issue of Saudi Arabia's lack of female politicians with Saudi government officials on the last stop of her Mideast tour, but she refrained from criticizing the kingdom over it.

"It's a nice view from here," Pelosi said as she sat in the chair, facing the ornate chamber with its deep blue and yellow chairs and gilded ironwork. "This chair is very comfortable."

U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who was traveling with Pelosi, looked at the gavel in front of her and quipped: "It's a small gavel, Madame Speaker. You may want to wield it."

Pelosi later sidestepped a question on how she felt about the absence of female Saudi council members, saying: "I am very pleased that after 200-plus years in the U.S. we finally have a speaker. It took us a long time."

Pelosi cuts Saudi Arabia slack for failing to grant rights to women. She rationalizes that it takes a long time.

Too bad she has no patience when it comes to the fledgling Iraqi government.

...Pelosi was welcomed at the Shura council by its head, Sheik Saleh bin Humaid, who is also the imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. He placed his right hand on his chest in a traditional Arab greeting, since conservative Islamic clerics don't shake hands with women, and she returned the greeting in a similar manner.

During her meetings, Pelosi did not wear the long black robe, or abaya, and headscarf that Saudi and non-Saudi women have to wear in the kingdom. Visiting female dignitaries are not expected to wear it.

Leader Pelosi doesn't even get a handshake!

Are we supposed to be impressed because she had the nerve to forgo the abaya and headscarf?

It's interesting.

When foreigners come to our country, we're expected to adapt to their customs. When Americans go abroad, we are expected to follow their customs. Go figure.

Cultural sensitivity should be a two-way street. It's not.

I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for Pelosi to come back to the U.S.

Mercifully, her Middle East tour ends on Friday.

Pelosi and Assad Find Common Ground

Today was the main act of Nancy Pelosi's Terror-palooza Tour. She met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) -- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on a visit to Syria opposed by the White House, said on Wednesday President Bashar al-Assad was ready to hold peace talks with Israel.

But her remark that Israel was prepared to negotiate with Damascus prompted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office to underline the Jewish state's preconditions for such talks.

Democrat Pelosi is the most senior U.S. official to visit Syria in more than two years. The White House called her trip to Damascus a bad idea and Republican President George W. Bush said it sent mixed signals to Syria.

"We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president (Assad) that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations (for) peace with Israel," Pelosi said.

"(Our) meeting with the president enabled us to communicate a message from prime minister Olmert that Israel was ready to engage in peace talks as well," Pelosi told reporters after talks with Assad.

An Israeli government official said that was not the message Olmert had asked Pelosi earlier this week to convey to Assad, who seeks the return of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

"The prime minister said Israel is interested in peace with Syria, but Syria would first have to abandon the path of terror and providing support for terrorist groups," the official said, in reference to Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

"Comments (Olmert) made to the speaker of the House did not represent any change in a policy Israel has expressed to all international figures dealing with the (Syrian) issue," a statement from Olmert's office said.

With all due respect to Madame Pelosi, she has revealed an astounding degree of idiocy and ineptitude.

Did she think that she could run over to Syria and misrepresent Israel without being called on it?

Pelosi has not only taken it upon herself to misrepresent U.S. policy, but she's screwing with Israeli policy as well.

Those Dems are great diplomats, aren't they?

I understand why Pelosi and Assad could relate to each other.
Read this September 2006 Spiegel interview with Assad.

He echoes the Dems' talking points. Bush is bad. It's all Bush's fault. Terrorists must be appeased to achieve peace.

SPIEGEL: United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice thanked Syria for its role in preventing the attack. In return, however, you sharply criticized America's Middle East policies. Why didn't you take advantage of this rare gesture of goodwill?

Assad: Ms. Rice didn't thank us for our policies, only for our response to the attack. But this attack happened precisely because of American policies in our region.

SPIEGEL: Why should the Americans be at fault?

Assad: Because they contribute to hopelessness in our country, and to silencing the dialogue between cultures. And then there is the condescending language -- the expression "islamofascism," which President Bush used, is a prime example. The pope's recent comments are also part of it. Such statements complicate the situation and create this need for revenge.

...

SPIEGEL: After the cease-fire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia, you gave a much-noted speech on the situation in the Middle East. In your speech, you mentioned a "critical stage of the history of Syria and the region." Wherein lies the opportunity?

Assad: First of all, it's clear to everyone that the status quo of war and conflict and instability is no longer acceptable. Now America enters the picture, because only America, because of its weight, can be the main broker for peace in the Middle East. But the Bush administration is under pressure. It's being accused of not having managed to bring about peace in six years. This pressure is good. Europe's foreign policy role is also growing. We specifically do not want a special role for the Europeans. We expect them to work together with America to achieve peace, and to do so on the basis of a vision America must develop.

...

Assad: But Israel occupies a part of my country - of course Israel is an enemy. If you want to play a role in our region, then you have to be able to see things from our point of view. That's also true for the classification of Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization." That cannot remain so. In 2004, Germany played an important role during the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah. That's exactly the point: to work within the realities that exist in this part of the world.

SPIEGEL: Germany's history also plays a role. Do you accept that Germany has a special responsibility for Israel?

Assad: Do you mean that Israel is allowed to kill Palestinians and Arabs because Jews at that time were killed in Germany?

SPIEGEL: No, of course not. We're talking about Israel's right to exist.

Assad: But why don't you also protect our right to exist? For us, the balance is important, and there, Europe is much closer to us than America. Europe knows our world.

Pelosi believes she has just opened the doors to peace in the Middle East.

In reality, she's legitimizing Syria's Bush-bashing and confusing Israel's policy.

I think Pelosi's script was written before she went to the Middle East and donned her headscarf.

Her Terrorist-palooza Tour had a pre-ordained purpose -- to disgrace President Bush.

I think she failed. She disgraced herself and the Democrat Party.