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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (756107)	12/13/2006 6:26:14 PM
From: pompsander	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

The Executive Branch carries out Foreign Policy...but the Administration won't talk to Syria..Thus, the Legislative Branch begins to step in within its own authorities and, in my view, makes the policy of completely refusing to talk to people that disagree with you look ridiculous. The Democrats will say: "Hey...we talked to him. He seems like an o.k. guy". Even if he isn't, the Republican Administration is going to have a tough time controlling the demos....This reminds me back in 95 when Clinton was trying to keep the lid on some foreign discussions and the Republican Senators were performing fact finding missions in the same place.. __________________________________ Bush criticizes Syria; U.S. senator meets Assad By Caren Bohan and Susan Cornwell 1 hour, 35 minutes ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday sharply attacked Syria despite calls for him to engage with the country over Iraq, while a Democratic senator defied administration wishes and met Syria's president. ADVERTISEMENT Bush, who has resisted pressure to hold talks with Syria, as well as Iran, as part of a new approach to ending violence in Iraq, issued a statement calling on Syria to "immediately free all political prisoners." Bush called on Syria to "cease its efforts to undermine Lebanese sovereignty" and disclose the whereabouts of Lebanese arrested during Syria's military occupation of Lebanon. Washington accuses Syria of allowing weapons and fighters to cross the border into Iraq, something Syria denies. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (news, bio, voting record), named to the Senate Intelligence Committee this week, said he saw an opening for dialogue in his meeting on Wednesday with President Bashar al-Assad. "He (Assad) stated that we in fact, have an interest, common interest, to stabilize Iraq. I think it is a crack in the door, and it is for discussions to continue," he said in a conference call from Amman, Jordan after meeting Assad in Damascus. Assad indicated a willingness to cooperate with the United States and the Iraqi army to close or control the border between the two countries, Nelson added The official Syrian news agency SANA said Nelson and Assad discussed instability in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories. "There was mutual interest to activate dialogue and putting in place mechanisms for cooperation," it said. The White House said members of Congress should not be going to Syria. "I think it is a real stretch to think that the Syrians don't know where we stand or what we think. We have made it clear and we will continue to make it clear," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. "What has not happened is the appropriate response by the Syrians in terms of their adventurism within the region, especially with regard to Lebanon, their continued support and housing of terrorist organizations," Snow said. CALL FOR DIRECT TALKS Last week the Iraq Study Group of well-respected senior figures from both parties, led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, urged the Bush administration to consider direct talks with Iran and Syria. The White House has so far rejected such contacts. Nelson said the State Department had sought to discourage him from meeting Assad "because their position is that they did not want to have any contact with Assad." "I replied that in light of the Baker-Hamilton study group report, that it was obvious that we were going to have contacts, and that remember what the goal was, the goal is to stabilize Iraq," Nelson said. He has met the Syrian leader twice before. Political sources in Damascus said Reuters other members of the U.S. Congress would visit Damascus before the end of the year, naming Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania. Democrats will take control next month from Republicans in the new Congress. Nelson said he and Assad had sharply disagreed in discussing the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, as well as on the pro-Syrian Hezbollah group and the Hamas Palestinian movement. Syria ended three decades of military dominance of Lebanon last year.