Hill, Globe, others quote Romney attack on Pelosi trip without correction

During an April 10 speech, presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) recent trip to meet with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was "one of the most partisan, divisive and ill-considered of any national leader in this decade." Subsequent articles about Romney's speech in The Hill, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News, and The Washington Times quoted Romney's characterization of Pelosi's trip as "partisan" without noting that a Republican -- Rep. David Hobson (OH) -- was part of Pelosi's delegation. These reports also omitted mention of recent trips to Syria by a Republican-led delegation and by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).

As Media Matters for America has documented, media figures have repeatedly reported on Pelosi's trip -- and Republican criticism of it -- without mentioning the Republicans who also went to Syria and met with Assad.

In addition to uncritically reporting Romney's attack on Pelosi , the April 10 article in The Hill stated that during his speech in Texas, "Romney embraced the courage of President George W. Bush."

From the April 10 article in The Hill:

White House hopeful and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) harshly criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) trip to Syria during a speech on foreign policy Tuesday.

Speaking at the George Bush Presidential Library Center in College Station, Texas, Romney embraced the courage of President George W. Bush before decrying "the divisiveness, the bitterness, the smallness, the disunity" of foreign-policy politics in Washington.

"And then the Speaker of the House helped dignify a state sponsor of terror," Romney said, in excerpts released by his campaign. "At this time of war, her action stands as one of the most partisan, divisive and ill-considered of any national leader in this decade." Romney said the state of the U.S. military had declined during the Clinton administration, and he called for expanding the military by 100,000 troops.

The former governor also offered a staunch defense of Bush's efforts in Iraq, echoing many of the president's talking points as he endures intense criticism over the war effort.

"Running away from Iraq now would embolden our enemies, giving them the sanctuary they need to plan more devastating attacks against our country," Romney said. "In this difficult time, some in Congress are trying to deny our troops the resources they need. This is a grave error. We need to rally behind the effort, and support our men and women in uniform in this time of war."

—R.D.