THE FOUNDATION: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

“In all very numerous assemblies, of whatever character composed, passion never fails to wrest the sceptre from reason.” —Alexander Hamilton & James Madison

EDITORIAL EXEGESIS

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration [last week] of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad. After a meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Ms. Pelosi announced that she had delivered a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that ‘Israel was ready to engage in peace talks’ with Syria. What’s more, she added, Mr. Assad was ready to ‘resume the peace process’ as well… Only one problem: The Israeli prime minister entrusted Ms. Pelosi with no such message. ‘What was communicated to the U.S. House Speaker does not contain any change in the policies of Israel,’ said a statement quickly issued by the prime minister’s office. In fact, Mr. Olmert told Ms. Pelosi that ‘a number of Senate and House members who recently visited Damascus received the impression that despite the declarations of Bashar Assad, there is no change in the position of his country regarding a possible peace process with Israel.’ In other words, Ms. Pelosi not only misrepresented Israel’s position but was virtually alone in failing to discern that Mr.Assad’s words were mere propaganda… The really striking development here is the attempt by a Democratic congressional leader to substitute her own foreign policy for that of a sitting Republican president. Two weeks ago Ms. Pelosi rammed legislation through the House of Representatives that would strip Mr.Bush of his authority as commander in chief to manage troop movements in Iraq. Now she is attempting to introduce a new Middle East policy that directly conflicts with that of the president. We have found much to criticize in Mr. Bush’s military strategy and regional diplomacy. But Ms. Pelosi’s attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish.” —The Washington Post

UPRIGHT

“With her trip to Syria, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi achieved two things: She undercut her own credibility in Washington, and she spotlighted what is wrong with the Democrats’ approach to national security.” —Ronald Kessler

“One of our greatest blessings as Americans is that we have brave citizens who step forward to defend us. Every man or woman who wears our nation’s uniform is a volunteer, a patriot who has made the noble decision to serve a cause larger than self… Our men and women in uniform deserve the gratitude of every American. And from their elected leaders, they deserve something more: the funds, resources, and equipment they need to do their jobs.” —President George W. Bush

“The effort to stabilize Iraq is making strides… But one wonders how many politicians, looking at the next elections, can shake themselves free from Weltschmerz long enough to greet, with gratitude, the possibility that time, finally, is working in behalf of the great endeavor to maintain an element of freedom in that critical area of the Middle East.” —William F. Buckley

“Too many Americans lack perspective… They ignore real problems and challenges and contrive silly ones. They praise people who are truly evil and demonize people, flawed though they may be, who are trying to do good. They lack the ability to discern. And if America doesn’t regain its perspective, it will lose the overwhelming blessings it continues to receive.” —Tom Purcell

“If we do nothing when the jihad comes for Israel, comes for India, comes for Serbia, comes for the Christians of the Third World—who will be there for us when it comes for America?” —Don Feder

DEZINFORMATSIA

Prophesies of doom: “Tonight, dire new predictions about disappearing species, melting glaciers, shrinking continents and more. Scientists say all the results of global warming.” —CBS anchor Russ Mitchell who also commented that the “spring freeze” in the east was “strange” ++ “[T]he other major story today—a highly-anticipated report from the world’s top scientists on the global warming. It is the clearest, most comprehensive statement yet on how industrial and motor vehicle emission are affecting the planet. It is a gloomy picture.” —ABC’s Charles Gibson ++ Keen sense of the obvious: “Global warming is an issue that is already moving away from science and into politics.” —CBS’s Mark Phillips

That’s the spirit!: “This is still Bush’s war. This is still a Republican war.” —NBC’s political director Chuck Todd on Iraq

The world’s smallest violin: “He was the first person to go through the legal system after 9/11 in federal court, and the atmosphere at that time was so intense and harsh that he is essentially a victim of timing.” —CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen on American Taliban member, John Walker Lindh

It’s all about me: “[I hope to] establish the broadcast as smart and trustworthy, and me as a relatively intelligent person who deserves to be at the helm.” —CBS’s Katie Couric on Katie Couric

“[John] Kerry said his decision not to run for president in 2008 allowed him to speak the truth on environmental issues.” —Associated Press **“Otherwise he’d lie about them.” —James Taranto

This week’s “Leftmedia Busters” Award: “A planned TV drama based on the exploits of a British Iraq war hero has been dropped by the BBC…[A] source close to the project [said] the BBC began to have second thoughts about the project last year because it was hesitant to show anything positive about the war.” —Fox News’ Brit Hume

Newspulper Headlines: In the Spring? No Way!: “Scientists: Lake Superior Warming Rapidly” —CNN.com

Maybe They Went to the Doughnut Shop: “State Police Looking for New Troopers” —Oregonian

Wouldn’t a Higher Salary Be More Appropriate?: “Police Chief Asks Public for Tips” —The Kansas City Star

Because if They Weren’t, They’d Be Big Dogs!: “Researchers have finally solved one of the great canine mysteries: Why are small dogs small?” —Los Angeles Times

News You Can Use: “Food Safety Experts Share Some Advice: ‘Don’t Eat Poop”’ —The Pueblo (CO) Chieftain

Bottom Story of the Day: “Grape-Thrower Misfires at School Board Meeting” —Detroit Free Press (Thanks to The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto)

THE DEMO-GOGUES

The BIG Lie: “On the issues that we set before the president [of Syria], there is no division among us or between our congressional delegation in Congress and the President of the United States.” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, undermining U.S. interests ++ “We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy. I view my job as beginning with restoring overseas credibility and respect for the United States.” —Rep. Tom Lantos on the foreign policy “mission” in the Middle East with Nancy Pelosi ++ “I think that what America should be doing on the issue of Iraq is dealing directly with both the Syrians and the Iranians, and I don’t know precisely what Speaker Pelosi is going to do in Syria, but we as a nation should be engaged with both the Iranians and the Syrians directly in helping stabilize Iraq…I think it makes sense to not on some ideological basis not deal with them, but to engage with both of them directly.” —John Edwards, who hopes to be Commander in Chief

“Supporting” the troops: “If [President Bush is] going to veto [the war supplemental appropriations], he’s going to veto a position that the vast majority of the American people hold.” —Sen. Joe Biden ++ “Mr. President, don’t veto the will of the American people. It is time for us to get them [U.S. forces] out of the middle of this sectarian civil war, and it is time for the president and the vice president to quit impugning the patriotism of people who don’t agree with them.” —Hillary in ‘08 Clinton

On the other hand: “We’re not going to vote to cut funding, period.” —Sen. Carl Levin, undermining his cohorts’ position ++ Ditto: “We are not going to leave the troops high and dry, plain and simple.” —Sen. Chuck Schumer

VILLAGE IDIOTS

Who asked him?: “I was glad that [Nancy Pelosi] went [to Syria]. When there is a crisis, the best way to help resolve the crisis is to deal with the people who are instrumental in the problem.” —Jimmy Carter

Postcards from the fringe: “[The Democrats] got there and they betrayed the grass roots that put them back there. We can’t depend on the Democrats… The timeline is now, not 18 months, not two years. [The anti-war movement] lost a little momentum during the elections, but it’s picking up again [because] the Democrats aren’t really doing anything [to end the war].” —professional moonbat Cindy Sheehan

Dumb and dumber: “More guns quite simply leads to more violence.” —Washington, DC, mayor Adrian Fenty, who is fighting the recent federal appeals court ruling (sixth item) upholding the Second Amendment

From the Village Academic Curriculum File: “We have come to the conclusion that the crisis Michigan faces is not a shortage of revenue, but an excess of idiocy. Facing a budget deficit that has passed the $1 billion mark, House Democrats Thursday offered a spending plan that would buy an MP3 player or iPod for every school child in Michigan. No cost estimate was attached to their hare-brained idea to ‘invest’ in education.” —Detroit News

Take your ball and go home: “We believe there’s just no reason for Democrats to give Fox [News] a platform to advance the right-wing agenda while pretending they’re objective.” —Jonathan Prince, John Edwards’ deputy campaign manager, announcing that Edwards will not attend the September 23 debate hosted by Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute

INSIGHT

“We need true tax reform that will at least make a start toward restoring for our children the American Dream that wealth is denied to no one, that each individual has the right to fly as high as his strength and ability will take him… But we cannot have such reform while our tax policy is engineered by people who view the tax as a means of achieving changes in our social structure.” —Ronald Reagan ++ “The more one considers the matter, the clearer it becomes that redistribution is in effect far less a redistribution of free income from the richer to the poorer, as we imagined, than a redistribution of power from the individual to the State.” —Bertrand de Jouvenel ++ “Capital punishment is when Washington comes up with a new tax.” —Van Panopoulos ++ “We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” —Sir Winston Churchill

SHORT CUTS

“I just I don’t think that [Nancy Pelosi] is blessed with a tremendous IQ. I don’t think this is the brightest bulb, incandescent or compact fluorescent in the socket. I don’t think that the elevator goes all the way to the top. She is an order of French fries short of a Happy Meal.” —Rush Limbaugh ++ “It’s one thing to be a college student, drunk on Jello shots, at the beach bar in Daytona, lifting your shirt for some dope with a video camera. It is something else to be the Speaker of the House, drunk on power, making a fool of yourself by pretending to be a diplomat and going to the Syrian desert.” —Rich Galen

“The most outrage I could find from a government official [regarding the 15 captured British military personnel] came from Patricia Hewitt, the British health secretary, who called the spectacle ‘deplorable.’ Alas, she was referring to something else. She was infuriated ‘that the woman hostage should be shown smoking. This sends completely the wrong message to our young people.’ Imagine the outrage if those captured marines had been fed trans fats.” —Jonah Goldberg

“President Bush was in Arizona inspecting an unmanned plane that’s used to patrol the border. At least the plane was supposed to be unmanned—turns out they found six Mexicans inside.” —Conan O’Brien

David Letterman: “Top Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying The Pope’s Used Car”: Will I be able to see through the stained glass windshield?; Can I keep the vanity license plate, “Holydude”?; Will he throw in the Creedence tapes in the glove compartment?; Should I get something cheaper like Billy Graham’s old Jeep Wagoneer?; Will it upset my Jewish friends?; When’s the last time he washed this thing, the Reformation?

Jay Leno: Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi went to Syria, and she said she found some common ground to talk about with the Syrians. I guess they told each other Bush jokes for a few hours. … Our official policy is to punish Syria for not renouncing terrorism. Hey, maybe the visit from Nancy Pelosi was the punishment. … Iranian President Mahmud I’m-A-Nut-Job released those 15 British captives after they were held hostage for 13 days. Iran was worried that if they didn’t act soon, Nancy Pelosi would go over and talk to them too. … Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards, as well as a number of other Democratic candidates say they will not participate in a presidential debate next month because the debate is on Fox News and Fox News is biased. How are you going to stand up to terrorists when you’re afraid of Fox News? … The big story in the presidential campaign is how much money Hillary Clinton has raised. It’s a record. She raised $26 million in the first quarter, and then shifted $10 million she had leftover from her Senate race for a total of $36 million. Hillary Clinton has so much money John Kerry is now hitting on her. … Health officials are now warning that prescription sleeping pills can cause sleep driving. It can cause people to get up in the middle of the night, drive somewhere, and have no memory of where they went or what they did. To which Bill told Hillary, “See? … Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said he wants to make it clear he is not in favor of gay marriage. He believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, no matter how many times it takes to get it right.

Veritas vos Liberabit—Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families—especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who have died in defense of American liberty, while prosecuting the war with Jihadistan.)