Back from her visit to Damascus, Syria, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D – HI) offered new details about the four-day visit, confirming that she met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, insisting she believes that the US needs to be willing to meet with anyone if there is a possibility for peace.
Gabbard’s visit to Damascus was announced by her office last week, but a lot of the details were withheld, citing security. At the time, they only said she had met with several government leaders without offering any names, though even at the time, there was substantial speculation Assad was among them.
Gabbard is a long-time critic of US policy in Syria, and has introduced legislation in the past trying to stop the US from arming rebel factions. President Trump has also expressed aversion to that policy and an interest in shifting the Syrian War dramatically.
Indeed, since Gabbard and Trump had already met since the election, amid reports she was under consideration for an important cabinet position, there has been some speculation that the visit was a short of “unofficial” attempt at sideline diplomacy by the new administration.
Syria is currently engaged in peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. The United States did not send a delegation to those talks, however, citing how soon it was after the inauguration.
So there is still one smart democrat . seems like a smart lady to me If I remember right president Obama also indicated he would meet with Iran before he was elected . I think I was in favor of his idea too . He also promised Iran would not be allowed to get a bomb I guess he did meet with Iran and changed his mind about letting Iran finally get a bomb . By all indications Iran will be allowed to get a bomb .
What a sick puppy you have become eric. Is your hate for Obama so deep that you are incapable of understanding that Obama allowing the negotiations and final successful agreement with Iran to succeed are the reasons why there is no war pending with Iran.
At least, no war unless Trump’s handlers announce that they won’t allow the agreement to stand.
Ms Gabbard’s introduction for a Law outlawing funding sent the rest of the politicians in hiding mode. If she introduced a law to “Fund” them – it would have been passed in a week. She’s in a kayak going upstream – pretty much – by herself – for now ! That’s a shame !
Tulsi Gabbard is an emissary of peace & an angel of mercy. God bless her.
It’s possible that she actually takes herself seriously!
Excellent. Glad to see someone take the leadership in diplomacy at a time when the Clinton/Bush/Obama regime did away with diplomacy altogether.
This is the first good news in a long time. I first read this news today on RT, AP and Reuters haven’t mentioned it yet.
Let her actions be a test of Trump now. Is she the modern day Jane Fonda we are to admire? Or will she be demonized and squashed like a bug by both political parties?
Past practice has shown us that either party will stand on principle of opposing the other party’s initiatives for either war or peace. During the Kosovo war, the principle was so strong that it turned Republican hawks into doves who opposed that war. Could a Dem actually find support from the Repubs? Will the Dems actually change their stripes and support this renegade?
Does anyone want to buy a nice bridge?
Could it be that she’s the traitor to her country that Trump was supposed to be?
She at least affords the opportunity for the alternate media to make mockery of the MSM.
It’s sort of exciting to think that she could be offered up and thrown in the face of Rachel Maddow or one of the crazies on Fox News. How would O’Reilly handle this if it was brought up on his program? Would he immediately alienate the 5% or 10% of Americans who re truly antiwar?
Gabbard has intelligence, courage, vision, charisma and empathy. I am very impressed with he so frr. She also has creds – two tours of active duty in the mid-East and currently a major in the Hawai’i reserves. In fact it was in Afghanistan that she transcended her Hindu conservative opposition to gay marriage when she saw the results of a society where the state imposed the dominant groups moral beliefs by force. She joined the water protectors at Standing Rock where she helped organize other veterans in solidarity and was ready to blockade the site when Obama buckled and stopped the project. She was a rising star as vice chair of the DNC until she became fed up with the fix for Clinton and resigned to become the first elected official to endorse Sanders. She has consistently accused Obama of having a “neocon foreign policy.” She appears to be the best hope of the antiwar movement for 2020. I thought her reluctance to support the Iran deal was a weakness. But I believe that she is smart enough to eventually realize that Iran has no nuclear weapon aspirations if she has not come to that position already. The water protectors at Standing Rock praised Gabbard for her ability to listen and learn as well as her courage to stand between them and the law enforcement forces. I look forward to seeing her emerge on the national stage.