If I was a Democrat...

...I would be ashamed of the people who supposedly represent me in Washington.

PARENTHETICAL NOTE: I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican....

Most particularly, I would be ashamed of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the so-called "Speaker of the House," who in reality speaks for no one but a spineless minority united by irrational hatred of Jorge Bush and a willingness to sell out any principle for political power.

This lede appeared on an Associated Press story today:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Syria, a country President Bush has shunned as a sponsor of terrorism, despite being asked by the administration not to go.

No rational person who has the slightest knowledge of the Middle East can deny that the Syrian leadership supports terrorism, is bent on destroying Israel, and would love nothing more than to see us fall into the fire with the Israelis.

I suppose I should not be surprised, given her maniacal desire to see this country surrender to the terrorists, no matter how many of her fellow citizens she places in danger by doing so.

And then, as icing on the cake, there was this, also from the AP:

Members of the House left Washington on Friday for their two-week spring break without weighing in on the international crisis tormenting the nation's closest ally: the capture of 15 British sailors and marines by Iran.

The omission by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is being noted by some Republicans, who say they should have gotten the chance to join the Senate in denouncing Tehran's bold actions.

So: On one hand, Pelosi is in a mad rush to trot off to the Middle East, where the Syrian leaders (who, like many of their ilk, know a willing dupe when they see one) will no doubt giver her a warm welcome, after which she will return and coo about how awful Bush is for not trusting them.

On the other hand, when faced with the despicable acts of Iran's Mad Mullahs, she can't be bothered to allow the House to express its anger.

If I was a Democrat, I would demand her removal from her Speaker's duties. In fact, I would demand her removal from Congress.

I believe many who support some of her views are honest in their beliefs, misguided and foolish as I think they may be. Support for telling the terrorists in advance that we're going to turn tail and run is bad enough, but there are surely some whose support for that would vanish if they really understood the horrific risk it poses for our military and, in fact, our own citizens here at home.

Pelosi knows damn well what she is doing. She has forgotten that, before party affiliation and an egregious lust for power, she is supposed to be an American first.

Or she should be.

She is not, and every day she is allowed to continue her near-traitorous wielding of authority brings us a step closer to disaster.