by John M. Curtis
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Copyright April 4, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

lapping President George W. Bush in the face, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi braved White House criticism on a peace mission to Syria. Pelosi brought an olive branch to Damscus from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose job hangs by a thread, after a disastrous war with Iran-backed Hezbollah last summer. When Israel's parliament meets later this spring, it's likely Olmert will get a no confidence vote, prompting new elections. Bypassing Bush and meeting face-to-face with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Pelosi did more damage to Bush's already shaky credibility and status on the world stage. Iraq leaves Bush mortally wounded with abysmal approval ratings and an unpopular foreign and domestic agenda. Thirty-percent approval ratings doesn't help Bush's lame-duck status, leaving the White House crippled between now and the 2008 presidential elections.

      When it became evident that Syria played a constructive role in winning the release of 15 British sailors seized by Iran, Assad emerged as a regional power broker and world statesman, despite White House denials. “Syria exercised a sort of quiet diplomacy to solve this problem and encourage dialogue,” said Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, confirming that Syria, an ally with Iran, convinced Tehran it was in everyone's interest to end the hostage crisis. Helping secure the release of British sailors and marines puts Assad back on the world stage. For over six years, the Bush administration painted Syria as Iran's evil twin, condemning their support for Palestine's Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah. When Lebanon's late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated Feb. 15, 2005, the White House cut off all ties. Syria denied any link to Hariri's death.

      Despite questionable treatment by Iran's Revolutionary Guards during the last 10 days, British Prime Minister Tony Blair bit his tongue and finessed his way out of the crisis. While not admitting fault, Blair assured the Iranians that the U.K. would avoid future incursions. Britain has also signaled that its four-year-plus Iraq involvement may be drawing down. Just as the Syrians played a constructive backdoor role to end the hostage crisis, the White House slammed Pelosi for meddling in U.S. foreign policy. Pelosi's visit and the U.K's effort to engage Syria behind the scenes, underscore's White House irrelevance. “Sending delegations doesn't work. It's simply been counterproductive,” said Bush, slapping Pelosi for trying to open a dialogue with Demascus. Assad's role in securing the release to British sailors confirms his status as a regional player.

      Hitting Bush with a left and right, Pelosi and Assad highlighted the extent to which the White House no longer has foreign policy clout. Apart from delivering a message from Olmert, Pelosi let Assad know that there's a new face to U.S. foreign policy. While Bush remains in charge, foreign leaders now see light at the end of the tunnel, with Bush scheduled to leave office Jan. 20, 2009. Bush remains upset that both the House and the Senate attached time limits to $124 billion funding bill for Iraq and Afghanistan. “They left for spring break without finishing their work,” said Bush, frustrated he didn't get the bill without strings attached. Unlike the White House, the House and Senate must respond to voters who unequivocally asked elected officials to find a way out of Iraq. Bush has left no doubt he intends to continue his Iraq policy until he leaves office.

      Today's announcement that Syria played a constructive role in securing the release of British prisoners raises Assad's clout on the world stage. When announcing the prisoners' release, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad touted Iran humanitarian gesture, commemorating the March 30 birth of Mohammed and upcoming Easter holiday. With all the confrontations with the White House, both Iran and Syria wish to humiliate Bush at every chance. Talking about Syria's backdoor diplomacy makes Syria look heroic to West, certainly the U.K. Iran couldn't afford to drag out the crisis while dealing with U.N. sanctions for enriching uranium. Bush criticized Pelosi because she stole the headlines while the White House continued to receive bad publicity. When Pelosi returns, she faces an almost certain veto to her effort to nail down a definite exist strategy in Iraq.

      President Bush criticized Pelosi because she allowed Assad to manipulate world opinion. “Photo opportunities and/or meetings with Assad lead the Assad government to believe they're part of the mainstream of the international community,” said Bush, concerned that Pelosi sent the wrong message. Watching Syria help Britain win the release of their hostages exposed the complexity of international diplomacy. Iran and Syria seek to do anything to discredit U.S. foreign policy. Bush's Iraq war continues to drive U.S. foreign policy into a ditch. While Bush wants to tout the troop surge, the insurgency shows no let up, leading to another 81 U.S. deaths in March. Blair and the U.K. learned firsthand about the consequences of following the U.S. in Iraq. No matter how unpopular, Ahmadinejad proved again he outplayed Bush in the war of words, leaving the White House looking bad.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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