MADAM SPEAKER

Notes of Concern…
…Jack Blair

MADAM SPEAKER

Garth Keeping, of Canada, asked me the other day what I thought about Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to his country and her controversial remarks. He even supplied me with copies of newspaper articles about her visit.

Since Garth is a fan of President Obama and a liberal in his political thinking, I found his thoughts about Speaker Pelosi especially interesting.

Unless all the polls are wrong, Nancy Pelosi will not be Speaker of the House of Representatives after the November election. As the first woman to hold the post, and one of the most outspoken, she has shown that she is adept at putting together coalitions and also at being one of the most divisive figures in government.

Ms. Pelosi decided recently to visit Canada. The purpose of her visit was to discuss oil sands and she brought with her Massachusetts Congressman. The meetings were to discuss climate change, the oil sands, and the Canadian energy industry.

She said she would: “come and listen”.

She seems to have honored one half of that promise. She went to Canada. The second half was unlikely from the time it was uttered and she behaved like a bull in a China shop while a guest of the Canadian government.

For my readers who may not know, Canada is the top energy provider to the United States. Given our lack of popularity in the Middle East and our dependence on oil, one would think we would like to solidify the friendship with our neighbors to the North. Canadians genuinely like Americans and we have always enjoyed a special relationship with their land.

If we want to keep it that way, we need to life Speaker Pelosi’s passport!



The headline in Canada’s press was: “U.S. Speaker calls for cut in Canadian oil imports.” Now there is a way to win friends and influence people. It ranks right up there with accepting an invitation to dinner and announcing to the other diners that the meal is uneatable.

The lead-in sentence of the news article: Nancy Pelosi would like to see the United States buy less of what Canada is selling.”

She is reported to have said in a casual conversation with some key Canadian women that she doesn’t like “any fossil” and doesn’t care whose it is or where it comes from (The Globe & Mail, September 10, 2010).

The Premier’s wife and a former Premier’s daughter invited Speaker Pelosi to visit the actual oil sands and see for herself all the efforts against pollution and toward “green” programs.

Pelosi’s response? Her office says she has no plans for such a visit.

If Madam Speaker made this trip with any intent to cement relationships between these two friendly nations, she obviously had a “senior moment” after she landed on Canadian soil. If President Obama sent her he made a grave mistake in his selection of a messenger. Frankly, I think our president is “clean” on this one. I don’t think he would have sent her and I certainly don’t think she would have asked for permission.

I don’t think the Founders envisioned Speakers of the House making international trips, meeting with international leaders, or messing in foreign affairs. I think they saw that as an executive branch function. Although I haven’t read those early documents recently I believe the president is charged with the conduct of foreign affairs. One of the huge number of aides to the Speaker might point out that portion of the Constitution to her.

Over the years the original plan has morphed into one where any Senator or Congressman seems to be able to travel the world, at taxpayer expense, and to interface with world leaders.

While “good” can come from this, so can “bad”.

These kinds of things have to be part of an organized foreign policy initiative. The world is complex. Trained diplomats are our best hope in dealing with foreign governments.

The speaker represents a small district in California. Recently, she has had control of the gavel in the U.S. House of Representatives. Soon she will return to representing a small district in California. It can’t be soon enough for me. Her second in command, Congressman Stoyer, would have made a much better Speaker.

In the meantime, could we keep her in Washington minding the hundreds of Congressmen who are now likely planning their own fact- finding missions abroad.

And, just in case it is needed, I hope President Obama will send some flowers and candy to our friends in Canada. These days we need all the friends we can get and insulting Canada is just too symptomatic of our hubris.

Every day in our relationships with allies and former allies it looks to me like it is amateur hour in the nation’s capital. This kind of behavior comes at a very high price relative to our national security and our future.