San Mateo congressman defends Pelosi's Mideast trip { Lantos on Cut & Run Tour }

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/6/7 | Edward Epstein

[SmithL]

Washington -- Bush administration criticism of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria this week is "hypocritical beyond belief,'' San Mateo Rep. Tom Lantos said Friday as he and the speaker prepared to return home from their nine-day trip with a congressional delegation to the Mideast.

Lantos, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the criticism from President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials and allies, was particularly out of line because Republican House members also met Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus just before and after the delegation led by the Democratic speaker.

"The notion that members visiting Syria and having discussions (is) a unique Democratic strategy to undermine the Republican administration is absurd on it face,'' Lantos said in a telephone interview with The Chronicle from Lisbon, Portugal.

Lantos said the Middle East tour was "thoughtful, productive and intensely patriotic'' in promoting American interests at every stop.Bush has said Syria should be isolated by the international community because Assad's government supports terrorism and has sparked violence in neighboring Iraq and Lebanon.

Pelosi, speaking Friday with the Associated Press, said her visit to Syria reinforced Bush's message to Assad, rather than sending mixed signals, as the president has said.

"Our message was President Bush's message," Pelosi told the AP from Portugal. "The funny thing is, I think we may have even had a more powerful impact with our message because of the attention that was called to our trip. It became clear to President Assad that even though we have our differences in the United States, there is no division between the president and the Congress and the Democrats on the message we wanted him to receive."

But again, the White House blasted the speaker from San Francisco.

[SmithL]

Cut and Run is a San Francisco value.

[Carolinamom]

Rep. Lantos ALSO said, "We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy."

[advertising guy]

bite me Lantos, you creepy death rolled over assbite

[sgtbono2002]

What did you expect from a man who just pulled his head out of Pelosi’s butt.? Of course he took up for her and in so doing he tried to dilute his own part in their treason.

By the way Lantos how many Republicans went to Syria and made them a deal with Israel that was basically BS.

I love the way these traitors throw around that word “Patriot”. There isnt a one on the Hill. They are all in on it for the bucks and the perks.

[digger48]

Are they calling Olmert a liar?

[DoughtyOne]

.Websters
.Lantos
. dim bulb
. fifth columnist
. see: donkey

[EagleUSA]

Cut and Run is a San Francisco value.

---

Typical Lantos — just another Bay Area liberal loon defending another liberal loon. Birds of a feather.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Lantos, who was once a decent man concerned with human rights for all peoples, has now gone over to the hard-core California/Democratic Left. For him to go to Syria, a protected haven for Nazi war criminals (Alois Brunner, for one), is to desecrate his family members who died in the Holocaust as well as his own history of being saved from Nazi executioners.

For Jewish Freepers, this trip took place during Passover, a celebration of freedom, so Lantos has sold out his Jewish birthright and heritage by going “back” to one of Judaism’s top oppressors, the Syrians.

The Democratic Party has set a path of betrayal of our ally Israel, and Lantos’ action is just the latest in this effort, and there is more to come.

I hope to have a column on this subject in the near future, either at www.thenewdominion.com, or at www.jewishworldreview.com.

[Godwin1]

Lantos is a foreigner with no love for our country and no special feel for our history or traditions. Socialist/Appeasement Europe is his ideal. He should go there.

[Txsleuth]

You better believe it.

Most of the shows have had someone say that Pelosi DID tell Assad that the only way Israel and Syria would have peace is if Syria stopped dealing with terrorists..blah, blah.

Well..we know she didn’t..and Olmert knows she didn’t...but, the lib talk show hosts have even said, “who are you going to believe, Olmert or Pelosi”. They asked it with a straight face...sheesh.

[HawaiianGecko]

By Thomas Sowell

Congressman Tom Lantos, who is a member of the delegation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading to Syria, put the mission clearly when he said: "We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy."

Now, in my humble opinion that's a statement that he clearly plans on breaking United States law.

[ridesthemiles]

Lantos needs to be researched for his own treasonous behavior. He is a POS himself.