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Media Matters – April 5, 2007
Media quoted criticism of Pelosi for wearing
headscarf in Middle East without noting that
Rice, Laura Bush have also done so
News reports in the Associated Press and the New York Post, and an editorial in Investor's Business Daily, quoted Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) by saying that "being seen in a head scarf and so forth is sending the wrong signal to the people of Syria and to the people of the Middle East," without noting that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and first lady Laura Bush have both done the same when visiting the Middle East.
An April 5 article in the New York Post asserted, "From the campaign trail in Iowa, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney slammed Pelosi's diplomatic excursion," before offering Romney's quote:
"I just don't know what got into her head, to be completely honest with you," he said.
"Her going to a state which is, without question, a sponsor of terror, and having her picture taken with Assad and being seen in a head scarf and so forth is sending the wrong signal to the people of Syria and to the people of the Middle East."
An April 4 AP report similarly noted Romney's criticism without offering any context. Neither that report nor the Post article made it clear in the text that Pelosi wore the scarf during a visit to the tomb of John the Baptist inside the Umayyad mosque in Damascus and not in her meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Romney's quote could be read to suggest that Pelosi wore the scarf during that meeting. A photo accompanying the Post article shows clearly that Pelosi's head was not covered when she met with Assad….
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704050012
ADC Press Release - April 5, 2007
ADC Welcomes Speaker Pelosi’s Visit to the Middle East
Washington, DC - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) welcomes Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's efforts on her recent trip to the Middle East. Specifically, the nation’s largest Arab-American grassroots organization views Speaker Pelosi’s recent trip to Syria, Israel, and Saudi Arabia as proactive steps in engaging in dialogue with key players in the Middle East that is vital to achieving peace in the area and securing the long-term national interests of the United States.
It should be noted that Pelosi's trip to Syria, in particular, was only one of several trips to Syria by Republican and Democratic members of Congress in recent months. These trips come following the recommendation of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report that recommended US diplomatic engagement with both Syria and Iran. ADC is encouraged by Speaker Pelosi's statement, "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace."
Pelosi's delegation also included Reps. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Nick J. Rahall II (D-WV), Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Henry A. Waxman (D-CA.), David L. Hobson (R-OH), and Tom Lantos (D-CA). Rep Lantos, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "The meeting reinforced sharply the potential benefits of talking to Syria. This is only the beginning of our constructive dialogue with Syria and we hope to build on this visit."
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