The Post was correct in its April 5 editorial "Pratfall in Damascus" to raise serious concerns about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

In an attempt to divert attention from such criticism, some have tried to equate Ms. Pelosi's visit to Syria with one I took to Colombia in 1997 when President Bill Clinton was in office. Any attempt to equate the two falls apart when you consider a few facts.

First, I was not speaker of the House when I traveled to Colombia in 1997. I was not speaking with the influence and authority of someone who is second in line to the presidency. In fact, my involvement in trying to keep Colombian-produced drugs from reaching America's streets resulted in the first frameworks for Plan Colombia.

Second, President Clinton and I were actually strong allies in support of Plan Colombia -- an effort to stop drugs from reaching our shores. As evidence of that cooperation, Mr. Clinton took the unusual step of inviting me as speaker to accompany him to Colombia in August 2000, and throughout the visit we spoke warmly of our partnership on this issue.

Those who are comparing my trip to Colombia to Speaker Pelosi's trip to Syria have it wrong. The approach Mr. Clinton and I took with Colombia is an example of constructive cooperation between a speaker of one party and a president of another.