CNN)– U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Bush should consider boycotting the opening ceremony of the Olympics Games in Beijing this summer to protest China’s human rights record.
“I think boycotting the opening ceremony, which really gives respect to the Chinese government, is something that should be kept on the table,” Pelosi told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts in an interview to air Tuesday morning, according to the ABC News Web site. “I think the president might want to rethink this later, depending on what other heads of state do.”
Pelosi said she does not think U.S. athletes should boycott the games themselves. “I believe a boycott of the Beijing Olympics would unfairly harm our athletes who have worked so hard to prepare for the competition,” she said in a statement last week.
President Bush has said he intends to meet with China’s president during a trip to see the Olympic Games in Beijing, which start on August 8.
Bush didn’t elaborate on what issues he might bring up, but his administration has accused China, a major U.S. trade partner, of human rights abuses.
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Well, well. Is this the same Nancy Pelosi who was all worked up about George Bush not ‘negotiating enough’ with the Syrians (whose leader can certainly be accused of violating the civil rights of those he has had murdered), Saddam Hussein (I believe those mass graves would argue some civil rights violations) and/or Iran?
Why is it that Nancy Pelosi is cozy with some of the most egregious civil rights violators on the planet, but gets her panties in a knot over Tibet? I suppose it’s just more politically correct to state one’s intentions to kill, say, every Jew and then provide the financial and weapons backing for murderous maniacs to actually engage in wanton destruction aimed at a civilian population that happens to be Jewish.
“Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning, because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him,” Lantos said. “Speaking for myself, I’m ready to go — and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be.”
Pelosi did not dispute that statement, and noted that Lantos — a Hungarian-born survivor of the Holocaust — brought “great experience, knowledge and judgment” to the recent bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in addition to Syria.
“I find the president of Iran’s remarks to be so repulsive that they are outside the circle of civilized human behavior,” Pelosi said, referring to Ahmadinejad’s past comments that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map and his questioning of the existence of the Holocaust.
“But a person of Mr. Lantos’ stature and personal experience is saying that — even as a Holocaust survivor and even recognizing the outrageous statements of the president of Iran — it’s important to have dialogue. I think that speaks volumes.”
I’m not sure that I understand her foreign policy statements. To repeat, Iranian representatives that murder lots of innocent people are supposed to be met with and ”dialogued” with, but our 4th largest customer, China, is not supposed to be accorded any such courtesy but instead insulted. This dialogue thing is getting confusing.
If Nancy Pelosi were indeed worried about civil rights violations, shouldn’t she have also urged the President to immediately insult Islamic policy throughout much of the world?
I’m just a bit mystified as to why Nancy is running off at the mouth on foreign policy to begin with. Let’s review her job duties again:
As specified in the rules and customs of the House, responsibilities of the Speaker include:
- Calling the House to order.
- Administering the oath of office to House Members.
- Presiding over debate, recognizing Members to speak on the floor, and preserving order; or delegating that power to another Member of Congress.
- Setting the legislative agenda.
- Leading the appointment process for the chairs of the various committees and subcommittees in the House, including conference committees which negotiate final versions of legislation.
Oddly enough, I do not see anything in that description for setting foreign policy or insulting foreign leaders.
Seems to me that Nancy has some political aspirations of her own and that Obama and Hillary better watch their backs.
A leader is someone who leads. A leader does not sit around waiting to see what everybody else is going to do before taking action.
