You have just got to wonder what are Democrats thinking? You have Harry the Surrenderer out promoting the policy that allows al Qaeda to win Iraq without a single military success (I guess al Qaeda doesn’t need to win with a military either – eh, Sen Surrender?). You have Dennis the Menace Kucinich out trying to start up impeachment because Cheney and Bush did what they (and previous Presidents like Clinton) thought needed to be done in Iraq. And now we have the Speaker of the House, who could find the time to meet with Syrian President (and terrorist supporter) Assad, skipping out on briefings regarding the state of Iraq (and elsewhere):

As the House and Senate prepare to vote this week on the final conference report on the $124 billion troop funding bill — which would also mandate that U.S. combat troops begin withdrawing from Iraq on Oct. 1 at the latest — Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to come to the Hill tomorrow to brief lawmakers on the progress of the recent troop escalation.

ABC News has learned, however, that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will not attend the briefing.

“She can’t make the briefing tomorrow,” a Democratic aide told ABC News Tuesday evening. “But she spoke with the general via phone today at some length.”

There is no higher priority than terrorism, Iraq and the state of our troops on the front lines. Does she have some tea with the Iranians she can’t cancel out on? My guess is she doesn’t want to face her own foolishness in front of others. She would have to take all the news in front of her peers and deal with her poor political decisions. And she would have to face much more, like how her trip to Syria possibly emboldened Hamas to start up hostilities with Israel again – now that she demonstrated how serious the Dems are to tie the hands of our military:

From Israel’s perspective, the timing of Hamas’ attack on southern Israel yesterday was problematic. With the government and army virtually paralyzed by fear of the upcoming publication of the Winograd Committee’s report, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cannot easily order a harsh reprisal in Gaza. And this time, good intelligence and the army’s preparedness foiled what was apparently another kidnapping attempt, which ostensibly enables Olmert to make do with a limited response.

…

For instance, the army is now allowed to penetrate a few hundred meters into Gaza in order to thwart kidnappings. Yet it must be remembered that last July’s kidnapping of two soldiers along the northern border by Hezbollah was preceded by many attempted kidnappings that Israel successfully foiled; it was Israel’s muted response to these attempts that convinced Hezbollah that it would only pay a minimal price for a successful abduction.

…

Meanwhile, the army is preparing, and on a scale that some liken to the preparations preceding the first Lebanon War in 1982. In Israel, such preparations tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies.

Where is the reporting on these events with Hamas (puppet to Syria and Iran)? Yes, the timing sucks – why does the US news media think the attacks are starting up again and the cease fire has been called off by Hamas? Where is Pelosi’s vaulted promise that peace will come through Damascus? I think Rudy Guiliani is right – kind of – when he says we could suffer another 9-11 if the Dems win the Presidency in 2008. But I think the problem is the Dems may be able to accomplish that goal simply with their razor thin margins in Congress. They are that dedicated! The signals the Democrats sent to the terrorist are taking hold fast and are predictably disasterous. The terrorists are fanatics, the will always over react. They have decided the Great Satan is now tied down and the time to attack is now – on many fronts.