09 APR 07 / "Defeatist Diplomacy"

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria last week for talks with Bashar al-Assad violated the premise that there should be no negotiating with state sponsors of terrorism. The country supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and has been contributing to the defeat of the U.S. military in Iraq. Hezbollah is believed to be behind the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, which killed 241. Syria is also a conduit for Iranian arms destined for Hezbollah, an organization committed to the destruction of Israel.

Pelosi is neither the head of state nor the secretary of state, yet she sees fit to undermine the Bush administration while the United States is at war in Iraq. Pelosi admonishes the president continually for not talking more to Syria and Iran, but her trip achieved nothing except to demonstrate that the American public opinion is divided and American resolve weakening. And, of course, the foreign press lapped it up.

Her assertion that Israel was willing to negotiate with Syria is proof positive she's playing out of her league and was a desperate attempt to declare a breakthrough and lend credibility to her own diplomatic efforts.

Her presence or that of any U.S. politician in Syria sends the wrong message to our enemies. No matter how you act, we will still try to engage you. This amounts to appeasement -- pure and simple. Forget the big stick, just speak softly.

Why should we talk to the people who want to see the decline of the United States as the result of terrorism and the killing of more thousands of Americans? We are at war with people who want to kill as many American men, women, and children as possible. And it's going to get worse before it gets better. Instead of talking, we should be bringing our military back to Cold War levels. This means doubling the size of the Army and Marine Corps.

It doesn't matter what was discussed with the Syrian president. The pictures show the world that America is divided and that half of the United States Congress doesn't want to stand and fight. They want to run and hide.

It's difficult enough keeping Americans safe from terrorists. And it's too bad we have to deal with a political party that coddles them. Let's hope the American people return Republicans to the majority before it's too late.