Pelosi on the Internet in the Middle East

[babylonsister]

http://mydd.com/story/2007/4/14/103037/742

Pelosi on the Internet in the Middle East

by Matt Stoller, Sat Apr 14, 2007 at 10:30:37 AM EST

This is fascinating. Here's an mp3 of Nancy Pelosi talking about her recent trip to the Middle East. The transcript is below.

There's real change in the world and many of you in this room are an important part of making it happen. Through the Internet there's a whole different communication. That's obvious, right? But I've been to the Middle East so many times, this is the first time that I've been there where people - whether I was in Saudi Arabia (by the way, talking to them about how we're going to reduce our dependence on Middle East oil, and how they should join us in fighting global warming) -- but the fact is that in Saudi Arabia, or the Palestinian territories, in Syria, or in Israel, in Lebanon, wherever we went, young people and women were saying, "We want these wars to stop. We've had it. Do our leaders have the courage to take the risks for peace? And if we had peace, will they be able to deliver us jobs and healthcare and education?" Their aspirations are the same as the aspirations of young people in our country.

And for the first time, it wasn't a tirade about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was about, "Figure out a way to end these! Our leaders just have to figure out a way to end these, so that we can get on with our futures."

And really, the Internet had a major part in changing that communication.

So when the President had a statement that we're not going to engage in dialogue, well, everybody else is. And if you want to shape the dialogue, if you want to have somebody else characterize your position, those are your choices: shape it, or have it mischaracterized for you.

This is the first time I've come back optimistic. Not only do the partners for peace seem to be willing to go for it... I don't know. ... But I do tell you this: the people are restless, and they want change. And again, the connectivity they have with young people throughout the world, with women throughout the world, is what is making a very, very big difference.

[donsu]

1. kick

nt

[Wilber_Stool]

2. I'll take a piece of this action...n/t