After last November's election, I wrote that the climate in Congress would likely move to the far left, but this writer never dreamed that the Speaker of the House would try to dangerously undermine this nation's foreign policy.

But that's exactly what Nancy Pelosi has done by taking off and sitting down with one of this planet's more reprehensible monsters, namely Syrian president and terror supporter Bashar Assad.

Syria is not our friend. They have been allowing huge amounts of weapons to be moved from its borders to the Lebanese-based Hezbollah militia and they have been suspected of supporting the insurgency against our troops in Iraq. Syria has also been blamed for the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, supports Hamas and Hezbollah and is considered a puppet of Iran.

These aren't the type of folks you want to sit down and have tea with, but that didn't stop the Speaker. Pelosi spoke of breaking through the marble ceiling when she ascended to her new role as the first female House Speaker, but she should have worn a helmet, because her brain was obviously addled by the impact.

Even the left-leaning Washington Post called Pelosi's unauthorized trip "foolish" and "ludicrous." Unfortunately, they left out the part about it being unconstitutional and a gross violation of the Logan Act.

The whole trip seemed designed for one thing: To spite President Bush. These days, it's the overriding motivation for everything the Democrats do. It is obvious that Pelosi's main purpose in visiting Syria was to undermine the administration by advertising American disunity in a time of war.

They even admitted it. Congressman Tom Lantos, who tagged along with Pelosi, said: "We have an alternative, Democratic foreign policy."

Not only did she foul the waters for the State Department, she also interfered in the strained relations between two other countries. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office flatly denied that they had ever relayed a message via Pelosi accepting Syrian calls to renew peace negotiations, as she claimed.

What was even more ridiculous were comments made during her visit to Saudi Arabia. Pelosi actually asked Saudi officials why there were no female politicians in that country. Considering the brutal habits of the misogynic Saudis toward the fairer sex, they will probably take her ill-advised attempt at "diplomacy" as confirmation of their belief that women are too stupid to serve as politicians.

Pelosi did receive from praise for her trip, but it wasn't from people I'd want supporting my position.

"Pelosi's visit to Syria was very brave. She is a brave woman." That was according to Jihad Jaara, who is a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group. He's also the fellow that led the infamous 2002 siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.

More praise came from Khaled Al-Batch, who is a militant and spokesman for Islamic Jihad. "Nancy Pelosi understands the area well, more than Bush and Dr. (Condoleeza) Rice," said Al-Batch told WorldNetDaily. "If the Democrats want to make negotiations with Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah, this means the Democratic Party understands well what happens in this area and I think Pelosi will succeed. ... I hope she wins the next elections."

The other support came from former president Jimmy Carter, but this shouldn't surprise us, since Pelosi is using the same foolish foreign policy promoted in the late 1970s that has given us the world we live in today.

Jimmy had a lot of help in those days in creating this mess. When the Shah of Iran was on his way out, mainly due to Carter's lack of support, the chief of staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee, William Miller, said that we had nothing to fear from the Ayatollah Khomeini, claiming he would be a "progressive force for human rights."

United Nations envoy Andrew Young called the Muslim holy man a "20th-Century saint" and U.S. Ambassador William Sullivan even compared Khomeini to Mahatma Gandhi. But for real breathtaking naiveté, you will have to look at what political scientist Richard Fisk wrote in the New York Times on Feb. 16, 1979, after Khomeini seized power.

"He [Khomeini] has been depicted in a manner calculated to frighten. The depiction of him as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems certainly and happily false. His close advisers are uniformly composed of moderate, progressive individuals ... who share a notable record of concern with human rights. What is distinctive about his vision is the concern with resisting oppression and promoting social justice. Many non-religious Iranians talk of this period as Islam's finest hour. Iran may yet provide us with a desperately needed model of humane governance for a Third World country."

And when 60 hostages were taken at the American embassy, liberal clergymen from this county saved their sympathy for the Iranians. William Sloane Coffin of New York's Riverside Church faulted the hostages for "self pity" and urged them to hold hands with their captors and sing. I'll bet I could name that tune, too.

Pelosi's latest actions reminds one of the preacher in the classic 1953 film version of "The War of the Worlds," who walks out to greet the Martians in peace and is promptly incinerated for his troubles. However, in real life, it won't be politicians like Pelosi who will catch a heat ray in the face.

It will be us.