To the editor:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to get some diplomacy going again. I doubt her visit will make any difference, or create sweeping changes in the Middle East, yet it’s a start.

Neither party has come up with any actionable plan to salvage success from the debacle in Iraq. Both parties repeat the mantra “We support the troops'” yet they continue bickering, to the detriment of our servicemen and women.

American diplomacy used to mean something. Our diplomats would smile for the cameras, and then behind closed doors would show the teeth behind that smile.

No one believes our carrot-and-stick approach anymore. We’ve lost all credibility in the world community, and have all but abandoned those diplomatic channels, as our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan pay the price. To stay the course will only bring more of our soldiers home in boxes, to set a timetable will result in the collapse of Iraq, with Iran and Syria moving in to create a Disney World for terrorists. All the while, our state department seems to be on vacation.

Diplomacy does not win wars, yet it is a vital part of any conflict.

Some think her solo trip was meaningless. I agree. Every member of Congress should have gone with her. That trip would have had meaning.

Steve Craven, Lawrence