There is nothing wrong with Pelosi?s trip to Syria

TO THE EDITOR:

On Sunday, Thomas Vaughn wrote about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?s recent trip to the Middle East and, in particular, her meeting with Syrian officials. Mr. Vaughn apparently believes she exceeded her authority as Speaker of the House with regard to foreign policy.

While I have great respect for Mr. Vaughn and his contributions to this community, I disagree with his thoughts on this topic. In the interest of greater objectivity, I would like to call readers? attention to additional relevant facts.

First, Speaker Pelosi led a bipartisan group that included Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Nick Rahall (D-W. Va.), Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and David Hobson (R-Ohio). According to news reports, Hobson said ?the delegation was adamant in urging President Assad to support administration policy in the Middle East.?

Second, a team of Republican representatives met with Syrian officials two days before the Pelosi visit, including Frank Wold (R-Va.), Joseph R. Pitts (R-Pa.), and Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.). The White House did not speak negatively about their visit as it did with regard to the Pelosi trip.

Third, last December, prior to Speaker Pelosi?s visit, Syria was visited by a delegation that included John Kerry (D-Mass.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). It was quickly followed by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who had his own meeting with Syria?s president.

Fourth, a bipartisan Iraq Study Group, chaired by respected Republican James A. Baker, recommended dialogue with Iran and Syria to help solve the Mideast crisis. President Bush apparently rejected this recommendation.

Conflicts between the president and Congress concerning foreign policy are not new and will continue because they have shared responsibilities in this area. For example, the president negotiates treaties with the advice and consent of the Senate. The House influences foreign policy by legislation, appropriations, investigations and resolutions. The respective roles are clearly described in a June 1, 1999 report of the Congressional Research Service titled ?Foreign Policy Roles of the President and Congress,? available on the Internet.

According to a recent poll conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes, ?three out of four Americans believe that in order to stabilize Iraq, the United States should enter into talks with Iran and Syria, and eight in 10 favor an international conference on Iraq.?

Last week?s AP opinion poll revealed 64 percent of Americans 18 years of age or older do not approve of the way President Bush is handling the war in Iraq. In this regard, it can be said the aforementioned visits to Syria are an expression of the wishes of the majority of our country.

Thomas Fisher
Hickory Boulevard
McMinnville