Pelosi Gets Quiet Reaction In Iraq

[TheSarge]

The arrival of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who came to Baghdad on Saturday with a congressional delegation, set off a now-familiar cycle of reaction in the Iraqi capital. First there was buzz around the city about flight delays from Baghdad International Airport, which goes into lockdown when VIPs land or takeoff. Since no dust storms were grounding flights, anyone traveling could have assumed some American bigwig was heading in. But when local TV reported the visitor was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, there was a collective shrug of the kind you might expect from Republicans catching a glimpse of her somewhere in McCain country.

Pelosi is something of a nonentity to average Iraqis. If they know who she is at all, she is generally seen as an antiwar caricature figure, someone whose views on U.S. troop withdrawals are widely considered unrealistic. Pelosi has said she wants to begin withdrawal of troops this year with a goal for the U.S to be out of Iraq by the end of 2009. It is a time frame virtually no Iraqi political leader sees as feasible. Not even Mahdi Army militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, the fiercest advocate of a U.S. withdrawal on the scene, has called for such a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The lack of popularity of Pelosi's views was evident in the fact that her first day on the ground Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not make an effort to see her. Maliki is currently in the northern city of Mosul overseeing a crackdown on insurgent networks there. But the city has been largely quiet in recent days, and there was no obvious pressing reason for the Prime Minister to skip Pelosi's arrival.

Pelosi may not get much more warmth from the American military leaders she plans to meet either. Pelosi argued against sending additional surge forces to Iraq, a plan overseen by Gen. David Petraeus that is now widely credited with reducing the levels of violence in Iraq.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1807442,00.html

[Airwolf]

Even the Iraqis hate Skeletor.

[Lauri]

wonder what Nancy thinks of liberal Time reducing her to a mere footnote in history.

if i was her, i'd resign right this minute. that's embarassing that even the militia leader whose side you are on, thinks youre an idiot.

[Bluesuiter-Retired]

Kind of reminds me of Hitlery's thanksgiving visit to Iraq -- even the troopers from 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum NY wanted nothing to do with her.  From what I hear, the division commander had to practically order the troops to make an appearance.

Hell, the troopers were downright happier than pigs in a mud hole when President Bush made an unannounced appearance at the dining hall.  They knew who has their back.

[Chris_]

Great...I think that this is the reaction that she certainly richly deserves.   I hope she gets the "rotten fruit" treatment at some point in her visit.......a time-honored middle eastern tradition.....

doc

[THA HOUSTON PIMP IS IN DA HOUZ!]

wonder what Nancy thinks of liberal Time reducing her to a mere footnote in history.

if i was her, i'd resign right this minute. that's embarassing that even the militia leader whose side you are on, thinks youre an idiot.

Hold up though; remember, this it TIME we're talking about.

Did yall read this little caveat?

But for all of Pelosi's unpopularity, in many ways she got a nicer arrival treatment than the last senior female American official to appear in Baghdad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice slipped into Iraq in January much the same way Pelosi did today — stealthily, with a terse confirmation by the U.S. embassy offering few details of the agenda. But within hours of Rice's arrival, TV news was crackling with word of it, and soon thereafter a volley of mortars fell on the Green Zone in an obvious message from Rice's detractors. No rockets or mortars were heard heading into the Green Zone today as word of Pelosi's presence hit the Iraqi airwaves in what amounted to a daytime news blip.

So you see, even when they report the truth about Pelosi unpopularity, they have to put in a dig at one of Bush's cabinet members.

In Time's world, mortars are launched only when Bush supporters are over there.

Tools.

 

[Chris_]

wonder what Nancy thinks of liberal Time reducing her to a mere footnote in history.

if i was her, i'd resign right this minute. that's embarassing that even the militia leader whose side you are on, thinks youre an idiot.

Hold up though; remember, this it TIME we're talking about.

Did yall read this little caveat?

But for all of Pelosi's unpopularity, in many ways she got a nicer arrival treatment than the last senior female American official to appear in Baghdad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice slipped into Iraq in January much the same way Pelosi did today — stealthily, with a terse confirmation by the U.S. embassy offering few details of the agenda. But within hours of Rice's arrival, TV news was crackling with word of it, and soon thereafter a volley of mortars fell on the Green Zone in an obvious message from Rice's detractors. No rockets or mortars were heard heading into the Green Zone today as word of Pelosi's presence hit the Iraqi airwaves in what amounted to a daytime news blip.

So you see, even when they report the truth about Pelosi unpopularity, they have to put in a dig at one of Bush's cabinet members.

In Time's world, mortars are launched only when Bush supporters are over there.

Tools.

 

I think it is more likely interpreted as....Pelosi isn't worth wasting mortar ammunition on......

doc

[Tucker]

wonder what Nancy thinks of liberal Time reducing her to a mere footnote in history.

if i was her, i'd resign right this minute. that's embarassing that even the militia leader whose side you are on, thinks youre an idiot.

Hold up though; remember, this it TIME we're talking about.

Did yall read this little caveat?

But for all of Pelosi's unpopularity, in many ways she got a nicer arrival treatment than the last senior female American official to appear in Baghdad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice slipped into Iraq in January much the same way Pelosi did today — stealthily, with a terse confirmation by the U.S. embassy offering few details of the agenda. But within hours of Rice's arrival, TV news was crackling with word of it, and soon thereafter a volley of mortars fell on the Green Zone in an obvious message from Rice's detractors. No rockets or mortars were heard heading into the Green Zone today as word of Pelosi's presence hit the Iraqi airwaves in what amounted to a daytime news blip.

So you see, even when they report the truth about Pelosi unpopularity, they have to put in a dig at one of Bush's cabinet members.

In Time's world, mortars are launched only when Bush supporters are over there.

Tools.

 

You think that Al Qaeda fired rockets in the hope of blowing up Dr. Rice, who is an important member of their enemy. They thought that Bela Pelosi wasn't even worth the expense of a single rocker, because she's a nobody.

[Lacarnut]

I think it is more likely interpreted as....Pelosi isn't worth wasting mortar ammunition on......

doc
[/quote]

More like, why would the terrorists want to kill an anti-war liberal appeaser who espouses our beliefs.

[BlueStateSaint]

I think it is more likely interpreted as....Pelosi isn't worth wasting mortar ammunition on......

doc

More like, why would the terrorists want to kill an anti-war liberal appeaser who espouses our beliefs.

Exactly.  Why waste ammo when your "ally" is doing your job for you?

[Hawkgirl]

She is so self-absorbed she'll spin it into something else in her own deluded head. 
This just solidifies my belief that the liberals are seen as nothing more than nuisances in the "real" world.

[Lauri]

wonder what Nancy thinks of liberal Time reducing her to a mere footnote in history.

if i was her, i'd resign right this minute. that's embarassing that even the militia leader whose side you are on, thinks youre an idiot.

Hold up though; remember, this it TIME we're talking about.

Did yall read this little caveat?

But for all of Pelosi's unpopularity, in many ways she got a nicer arrival treatment than the last senior female American official to appear in Baghdad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice slipped into Iraq in January much the same way Pelosi did today — stealthily, with a terse confirmation by the U.S. embassy offering few details of the agenda. But within hours of Rice's arrival, TV news was crackling with word of it, and soon thereafter a volley of mortars fell on the Green Zone in an obvious message from Rice's detractors. No rockets or mortars were heard heading into the Green Zone today as word of Pelosi's presence hit the Iraqi airwaves in what amounted to a daytime news blip.

So you see, even when they report the truth about Pelosi unpopularity, they have to put in a dig at one of Bush's cabinet members.

In Time's world, mortars are launched only when Bush supporters are over there.

Tools.

 

yeah, they did throw her a bone in the article, but even the most stupid lib will see its a jab at their highest office holding female.

that's why i was surprised it was Time doing it; they typically treat all the Liberal half wits with kid gloves... maybe Nancy is on her way out? she hasnt done squat, so maybe the backlash is starting to brew?