Much fanfare has been made about how Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to Damascus was somehow contrary to White House policy. ‘Oh don’t go, Nancy’, shouted the Republicans. Then they called her a traitor for when she did visit Syria. And now Israel’s Olmert has gotten into the act (and I do mean act) as he met with the US Secretary of Imperialist War, Robert Gates, and the 2 of them did a DC photo op with Israel’s Olmert stressing that Israel wants to be friends with Syria. Why didn’t the White House lash out at Olmert as they just had with Pelosi?

The answer is simple. The lashing out in the media at Pelosi was just a media cover offered to the Democrats by Bush, while Pelosi got to pretend that the Democrats oppose Bush’s foreign policy of pushing for an extension of war from Iraq into Iran. Syria is an ally of Iran and all Pelosi was trying to do with her visit to Damascus was to try to split the 2 allies, Syria and Iran, by offering one the ‘carrot’, if only Syria would abandon its ally, Iran, who will then get the US-Israel ‘stick’.

Divide and Conquer is an ancient US government policy that both Pelosi and Bush are totally in agreement on. Take Syria to the side and offer it relief from the coming US-Israel attack on Iran, but only if Syria’s government abandons its alliance with Iran? There is no split between Pelosi and Bush at all. And both parties are absolutely ready to now have the US military attack Iran whether Syria accepts their ‘carrot’ or not. What will Syria’s government do? Dealing with the US and Israel in this way is even more suicidal than staying firm in alliance with Tehran.