Pelosi's Syria Trip: Media Advancing Right-Wing Spin

Washington, DC - Today, Media Matters for America criticized those in the media who have uncritically reported conservative attacks on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and falsehoods about her trip to Syria and the Middle East without noting several key facts:

• Republicans have made similar trips to Syria without White House criticism: Several Republican members of Congress have made similar trips without media criticism, and the delegation led by Speaker Pelosi is bipartisan. Pelosi's trip comes after several Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Frank Wolf (VA), Joe Pitts (PA) and Robert Aderholt (AL), went to the region on April 1. In 2006, Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania also went to Syria.

• Pelosi's trip not significantly different from typical congressional trips: The Washington Post reported, "Foreign policy experts generally agree that Pelosi's dealings with Middle East leaders have not strayed far, if at all, from those typical for a congressional trip. ... Pelosi ... and aides have described the trip as little different than the visit paid to Syria the same week led by Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.): an effort to improve relations through contact."

• James Baker and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended direct talks with Syria: The bipartisan Iraq Study Group report suggested the United States should "engage" Iraq's neighbors (Syria and Iran) to bring stability to the region and encouraged diplomacy with Syria and Iran. The Iraq Study Group stated: "Given the ability of Iran and Syria to influence events within Iraq and their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the United States should try to engage them constructively." The group further recommended that the United States "immediately launch a new diplomatic offensive to build an international consensus for stability in Iraq and the region" with "every country that has an interest in avoiding a chaotic Iraq," including Iran and Syria.

• Pelosi was tough with the Syrians: Several news reports have noted that Pelosi and her delegation challenged Syria on its ties to "militant groups" and urged Syria to control its border with Iraq. The New York Times reported that, according to delegation members, they "press[ed]" Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad "over Syria's support for militant groups and insist[ed] that his government block militants seeking to cross into Iraq and join insurgents there." Similarly, a Los Angeles Times article noted that "Pelosi emerged from the meeting with Assad saying in a televised news conference that she had pressed him on Syria's support for the Islamic militant group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, both of which are on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist groups."

• Pelosi's wearing of headscarf not uncommon: News reports in the Associated Press and the New York Post, and an editorial in Investor's Business Daily, quoted Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's criticism of Pelosi: "[B]eing seen in a head scarf and so forth is sending the wrong signal to the people of Syria and to the people of the Middle East." These outlets did not note that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and first lady Laura Bush have both done the same when visiting the Middle East.

More from Media Matters for America on Pelosi's Trip to Syria...

CNN trumpeted baseless accusation against Pelosi from "bombshell" Wash. Post editorial
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704060001

On the April 5 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, CNN International's U.S. affairs editor Jill Dougherty repeated the baseless accusation from an April 5 Washington Post editorial that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had, in Dougherty's words, "allegedly botch[ed] a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert" about Israel's willingness to begin peace talks with Syria. Dougherty called the editorial a "bombshell," and on-screen text during the report referred to a "'Pratfall in Damascus,' " the headline of the Post editorial. Although Dougherty noted that Pelosi's staff disputed the accusations in the Post editorial, she left out other statements Pelosi made at her April 4 press conference with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, which were reported in the Post's news pages. As Media Matters for America documented, those statements undermine the Post editorial's assertion that Pelosi "misrepresented Israel's position" by failing to communicate to Assad that Israel continues to demand that Syria cease its support of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah prior to negotiations.

Media quoted criticism of Pelosi for wearing headscarf in Middle East without noting that Rice, Laura Bush have also done so
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704050012

News reports in the Associated Press and the New York Post, and an editorial in Investor's Business Daily, quoted Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) by saying that "being seen in a head scarf and so forth is sending the wrong signal to the people of Syria and to the people of the Middle East," without noting that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and first lady Laura Bush have both done the same when visiting the Middle East.

Wash. Post editorial omitted key facts from Post news report that undermine its attack on Pelosi
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704050010

In an April 5 editorial, The Washington Post left out the full content of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) statements to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, as reported by the Post itself, which would have undermined the editorial's attack on Pelosi for telling Assad that Israel was ready to negotiate. Pelosi, the editorial asserted, had "misrepresented Israel's position" when she announced, at an April 4 press conference with Assad, that she had told Assad that "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. "Only one problem," the editorial asserted: "The Israeli prime minister had entrusted Ms. Pelosi with no such message," and instead had "quickly issued" a statement that "[w]hat was communicated to [Pelosi] does not contain any change in the policies of Israel" regarding the terms under which it would negotiate with Syria. In fact, in what has become a familiar pattern, the Post editorial's assertion was undermined by reporting in the Post's own news pages.

Wash. Post left out full extent of Hastert's circumvention of Clinton admin. in working with Colombians
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704050008

A Washington Post article on Nancy Pelosi's recent trip to Syria reported that former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert had "infuriated the Clinton White House by working directly with Colombian police officials on their U.S. aid requests, bypassing diplomatic channels." But Hastert allegedly went further, urging Colombian military officials to circumvent the administration and work directly with Congress, even assuring them that he would work to reduce the impact of legal restrictions that Colombia objected to.

MSNBC's Corke claimed "the White House has remained consistent" in criticizing both parties
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704050003

In an April 4 report on the White House's criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) decision to meet with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, MSNBC correspondent Kevin Corke claimed that "the White House has been fairly consistent on this particular issue." Corke noted that the Bush administration views such visits as sending "sort of a mixed message," adding that "there have been other delegations that have gone there, including some Republicans, and yet the White House has remained consistent." But, contrary to Corke's claim, the White House's public statements have been entirely inconsistent -- initially chiding Pelosi while remaining silent about a Republican-led delegation to Damascus on April 1, and only recently denouncing these trips in general terms without singling out any Republican members of Congress who went on them. As Media Matters for America has noted, numerous news outlets have reported the White House's attacks on Pelosi without also reporting on the GOP-led trip to Syria.

CNN's Malveaux asked if Pelosi's trip to Syria is "big wet kiss to President Al-Assad"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704050001

On the April 4 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, guest host Suzanne Malveaux again asserted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had "no official capacity to negotiate" during her visit to Syria. Malveaux then asked Imad Moustapha, Syrian ambassador to the United States, why anyone should "see" Pelosi's trip as "any more [than] a political stunt here, a publicity stunt, a big wet kiss to [Syrian] President [Bashar] Al-Assad?" As Media Matters for America noted, Malveaux made similar comments on the April 3 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, saying that Pelosi had no "standing" and was not acting in an "official capacity" despite Democratic strategist Paul Begala's assertion that "Pelosi has standing. She's the speaker of the House," and Malveaux herself noting that Pelosi "will be the highest level U.S. official ever to meet with Assad."

CNN's Malveaux said Pelosi has no "standing," asked if Syria trip is a "political stunt"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704040010

On the April 3 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, guest host Suzanne Malveaux repeatedly asserted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had no "standing" and was not acting in an "official capacity" when she traveled to Syria to meet with President Bashar Assad and others, even though Democratic strategist Paul Begala told Malveaux that "Pelosi has standing. She's the speaker of the House," and Malveaux herself noted that Pelosi "will be the highest level U.S. official ever to meet with Assad." Additionally, Malveaux asked her guests if Pelosi's trip was anything more than "political theater" or a "political stunt," and characterized the trip as a response to President Bush's "wishes," which follows CNN's pattern of portraying Democratic action as a reaction to the president.

CNN's Beck, Fox & Friends continued smearing Pelosi over Syria trip
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704030014

On the April 2 edition of his CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck characterized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) trip to Syria as "a little sun and sand and an ... unauthorized negotiation with our enemies" and referred to it as "Nancy's little play date in the Middle East." Beck also hosted deputy White House press secretary Dana Perino, who said that Pelosi's trip "does sort of defy common sense" because "[w]e, as an administration ... discourage them [U.S. officials] from going to Syria. It does not help the situation." At no point, however, did Beck mention that a delegation led by Republican Reps. Frank Wolf (VA), Joseph R. Pitts (PA) and Robert Aderholt (AL) met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus on April 1.

CNN reported on Pelosi's "bad trip" to Syria
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704030010

On the April 2 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN ran an on-screen graphic reading "Pelosi's Bad Trip?" throughout a report about a congressional delegation visit to Syria led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). As Media Matters for America noted twice on April 2, CNN aired reports about White House criticism of the Pelosi-led trip without mentioning the White House's inconsistency in not also criticizing a Republican-led delegation that met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus on April 1. While Dobbs, unlike some of his colleagues, did report at the end of the segment that Pelosi had responded to criticism from the White House by noting its silence regarding the Republican-led trip, in subsequent reports, CNN persisted in leaving out any mention of the GOP-led delegation or the White House's inconsistency.

AP asked Bush at presser if Pelosi's Syria trip was "pre-empting" diplomacy -- no mention of GOP
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704030005

During his April 3 press conference, President Bush called first on Associated Press staff writer Jennifer Loven, who asked if Bush was "worried" that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) scheduled trip to Syria "might be pre-empting your own efforts" to establish a dialogue with Syria. Sixteen minutes after Bush finished answering Loven's question, she posted a report noting that Bush "voiced displeasure" with Pelosi's trip, "saying it sends mixed signals to the government of President Bashar Assad." Although in the article she quoted Bush saying that "a lot of people have gone to see President Assad ... and yet we haven't seen action," in neither the question nor the article did Loven note that a Republican-led congressional delegation met with Assad on April 1.

CNN's Malveaux parroted White House criticism of Pelosi's Syria visit, but ignored GOP-led trip
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704020012

During an interview with former Ambassador John Bolton on the April 2 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, guest host and CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux noted the White House's denunciations of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for her scheduled trip to Syria, but did not note that a Republican-led delegation met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 1. Malveaux also did not point out the White House's inconsistency in criticizing Pelosi for her trip while remaining silent on the GOP-led visit. Nor did Malveaux report in her exchange with Bolton that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly voiced support for Pelosi's trip to Syria, "urg[ing] Pelosi," according to an ABC report on April 2, "to convey the message to Assad that Israel would be willing to hold talks with Syria -- if Syria would take steps to stop supporting terrorism."

Media reported White House criticism of Pelosi Syria trip, but not its silence on GOP-led trip
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704020007

In reporting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is planning a visit to Syria accompanied by a bipartisan congressional delegation this week, several media outlets highlighted White House criticism of Pelosi's trip but did not note that a Republican-led delegation met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 1 -- nor did they note the White House's inconsistency in criticizing Pelosi for her trip but remaining silent on the GOP-led visit.

Echoing White House, Kristol attacked Pelosi for trip to Syria, which GOP-led delegation also visited
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704010001

On the April 1 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, Weekly Standard editor and Fox News contributor Bill Kristol repeated an attack by the White House on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for planning to go to Syria while her bipartisan delegation is traveling in the Middle East this week. But, as the weblog Think Progress reported on March 30, a Republican-led congressional delegation is also visiting Syria, a trip that the White House has apparently not criticized similarly. Kristol did not mention the reported Republican-led trip to Syria, much less the inconsistency in the White House's criticism of Pelosi's trip and its silence on the Republican-led trip.

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