Sad that it’s come to this:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will not be permitted to use State Department funds to travel to nations that are known to have sponsored terrorism if a Republican amendment to appropriations legislation passes the House on Thursday.

The amendment to the $34 billion State and Foreign Operations bill, offered by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), prohibits funds to be used to travel to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria.

King told The Hill that he believed Pelosi was in violation of the Logan Act, a 1799 law signed by President John Adams that prohibits unauthorized U.S. citizens from interfering with relations between the United States and foreign governments.

“I was one of the members of Congress that was incensed the Speaker had taken it upon herself to conduct foreign policy,” he said. “It was a blatant violation of the Logan Act.”

The liberal reaction/spin:

“How can anyone take this amendment seriously, especially when it comes on the same day that Bush Administration officials are in North Korea? And why would anyone think it is responsible to restrict the ability of the Speaker of the House to bring the concerns of the American people to foreign leaders? It is part of the Speaker’s job,” said spokesman Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for Pelosi.

Of course, it’s not part of the Speaker’s job to direct foreign policy.  That is explicitly the right of the President.  The law, the Logan Act specifically, prevents negotiations and/or meetings with enemy foreign powers without the explicit permission of the President.  Speaker Pelosi, in her drive to undermine the leader Americans elected to set foreign policy, has totally ignored that law.

And, sadly, nobody seems to care.  But it’s nice to see the GOP showing some spine and heckling her over this anyway.