A Funny Thing Happened on the Road to Damascus

By Scott Horton

For years, Washington politicians have found a reason to make trips to the Middle East during Holy Week. The photo ops that go with the season are irresistible, but little of substance comes from them. That would be my take on this week's visit by Speaker Pelosi, and other delegations—including a number of Republicans—to Jerusalem and Damascus.

The Iraq Study Group recommended that Iraq's neighbors be engaged in a positive dialogue about the future of Iraq. In this process they stressed the need to start a dialogue with Iraq's two most potentially troublesome neighbors, Syria and Iran. The Bush White House mumbled positive words about the study group, but its conduct has had little to do with the group's recommendations.

Yesterday morning, for instance, a reporter asked President Bush why, given his administration's agreement to a dialogue with Assad, he had any troubles with Pelosi and others meeting with him? A good question. Bush's answer: "The position of this administration is that the best way to meet with a leader like Assad or people from Syria is in the larger context of trying to get the global community to help change his behavior."

Let's try to translate that from Bushspeak. To learn what Bush means, you need to look at what he does. He has done everything in his power to shutdown efforts to negotiate any real peace between Israel, Syria and Lebanon. For instance, Ha'aretz reported on a severe reprimand that Condoleezza Rice delivered to Israeli government authorities when their secret back channel discussions with Damascus were revealed. A German diplomat who participated in talks in Beirut recently described to me active attempts by Rice to obstruct any meaningful dialogue involving the Syrians there. All of this relates to current target practice: a desire to preserve war with Syria (or a proxy war involving Lebanon) as a viable option.

However, the Neocon coven at the White House—or what remains of it—has been working overtime trying to go after Pelosi on her current visit. Strong evidence of chain-yanking appears in two locations this morning: an editorial in the Washington Post bearing the fingerprints of Fred Hiatt and a statement out of Prime Minister Olmert's office in Jerusalem. According to the WaPo editorial writer:

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. Two weeks ago Ms. Pelosi rammed legislation through the House of Representatives that would strip Mr. Bush of his authority as commander in chief to manage troop movements in Iraq.

So let's see, Bush says he wants a discussion with the Syrians, and when Republicans go visit Assad, that's fine, but when a Democrat does it, that's a usurpation of presidential authority. But then we come to the real sticking point for WaPo—yes, this is all about war-making. The right to keep the war running in Iraq, even when large majorities of the American public want to shut it down. And the right to make war on Syria if that suits them, too, regardless of what Congress thinks. Only one adjective could be appropriately applied to the WaPo perspective shown here, and it's the one they choose as a leitmotif for the editorial: foolish.

Following Pelosi's meeting with Assad, Olmert issued a "clarification":

During Mrs. Pelosi's meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, before her visit to Syria, the Prime Minister said 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.

The Prime Minister emphasized 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.

I wonder: How many phone calls did Elliott Abrams place to get this statement issued? Let's be clear about how the Prime Minister saw things before Abrams started screaming at him on the phone. Ha'aretz reports:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who visited IDF forces in the North last week, heard an intelligence assessment and was informed of the dangers of a Syrian "miscalculation."

Following his visit to the forces in the field, a decision was made to publicly address the concerns of a possible deterioration with the Syrians, and to send a message that Israel has no intention of attacking Syria, nor is there any coordinated plan with the U.S. for a joint attack against Iran.

The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus today, and will deliver a message of calm from Israel.

So there you have it. It's Holy Week in the Middle East. What better time to curse and taunt the peacemakers and engage in a bit more warmongering?