Pelosi on the Right Path
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving on the right path in exploring the possibilities of negotiated solutions to the problems that threaten the peace of the Middle East. Her bold initiative to meet with two Muslim rulers, the Syrian President and the Saudi King, is in line with the UN Charter and customary international law that require nations to resolve disputes without threats and employment of force. As the Speaker of the US House of Representatives--which reflects the will of the American people in the most recent general elections (more so than the White House)--Pelosi has every right to take foreign policy initiatives that involve the enumerated constitutional powers of the Congress. According to the Constitution, the Congress provides for the common defense of the United States; it has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations; to define and punish offenses against the law of nations; and to declare war. Speaker Pelosi’s Middle East visits involve the constitutional