Where are the transcripts?

By Gerd Schroeder

Where are the transcripts of the dialogue between House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad? Speaker Pelosi yesterday claimed that she said nothing to contradict the foreign policy of the President, but offers no details. I for one would like to hear the evidence for myself. Especially after hearing a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Tom Lantos, claim last week that they have an "alternative Democratic foreign policy" that is different from the President's. How can both the Speaker and the Chairman both be telling the truth?

If the Democrats in Congress have the right to demand the transcripts of Vice President Cheney's Energy Working Group, then surely we have a moral right to know what was said between the Speaker and President Assad, and judge for ourselves where the truth lies.

It is interesting to note that there is no audio of the meeting that we see looped endlessly on TV. But it is clear through the body language of President Assad that he seems to be clearly lecturing her about something, while she appears to be dimly smiling and nodding. What is the discussion about? Will we ever know?

Conservatives have every right to ask the tough questions and take advantage of the sensitivity that the Speaker clearly has about this her visit.