Who Needs Honesty When You Have Talking Points?

For the past few days, Bob has repeated the Republican attack points about Nanci Pelosi. Republicans claim that Nancy Pelosi, in traveling to Syria, slapped George W. Bush in the face and undermined Middle East policy. But today's attack point was quite the doozy: Bob quoted a Wall Street journal editorial that argues that in going to meet with the Syrians, Nanci Pelosi violated the Logan Act and is a felon.

What absolute crap.

This is the text of the Logan Act:

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply, himself or his agent, to any foreign government or the agents thereof for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

First of all, this act applies to any citizen without the authority of the United States. This doesn't apply to Nanci Pelosi since she is the Speaker of the House! Not only does she have the authority of the United States, the State Departement participated in briefing the Congresswoman for her trip! According to the Chicago Tribune, "Pelosi was briefed by State Department officials before her meetings with the foreign leaders and that State Department officials also attended her meetings." So the claim that she was acting "outside" her authority is garbage.

Second, why isn't Bob complaining about the other politicians who went to Syria before Pelosi? A week before Pelosi went to Damascus, Representatives Frank R. Wolf of Virginia, Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania and Robert B. Aderholt of Alabama all went to Syria. Bob isn't complaining about them because they're all Republicans. So Bob is ignoring evidence that would exculpate Pelosi? I'm shocked! Just shocked!

Finally, Bob said he'd have a hard time imagining that Newt Gingrich (as Speaker of the House)would visit other countries and meet with their leaders while Bill Clinton was President. But guess what? He did! Gingrich went to China while Clinton was in office and "warned China's top leaders that the United States would intervene militarily if Taiwan was attacked."

That's not all!

In 1997, then Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert went to Columbia and "specifically encouraged Colombian military officials "to 'bypass' President Clinton and 'communicate directly with Congress.'"

So let's tally up our score, shall we?

1: Pelosi had the authority to go to Damascus.

2: There were Republicans in Syria before Pelosi, whose trip Bob conveniently ignores.

3: Two former Republican House Speakers engaged in diplomacy in an attempt to undermine President Bill Clinton.

What does 1+2+3 equal?

That Bob Dutko is a liar and hypocrite.