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Originally Posted by Seaver
I could point out the diplomatic talks Nixon/Kissinger managed to change China from the Soviet's most powerful ally to one of ours.
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I don't want to threadjack too badly, but this isn't really true. The Chinese and Soviets had a relationship that started degrading the moment Stalin died. Mao saw himself as the new torchholder for the revolution, and he and Khrushchev tangled many times, including some pretty vicious swipes at one another. By the time Breshnev rolled into power, there was a low-grade border war being fought between the two nations. One of the great failings of American foreign policy during the Cold War was not exploiting the differences and divides in Sino/Soviet relations. Kissinger was really one of the first to recognize the breach and the first to actually exploit it, although the Chinese have never really been our ally.
Back on topic, the thing that always amazes me about Congressional visits to foreign states is the hard and fast rule that nothing ever gets accomplished. Honestly, has anything solid ever come out of one of these trips?
That said, I think that it's a good thing because it allows the administration to keep their message intact while reaching out to the Syrians. I see this as a version of a smoke-and-mirrors trick so that actual discussions can take place. I'm sure that all the Congressional members were briefed and given instructions on agendas.