Nancy Pelosi Speakership Deathwatch

[Brainster]

Anybody catch her deer-in-the-headlights press conference today, where she accused the CIA of lying to her?

Under fire from Republicans for what she knew about harsh questioning of terror detainees, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday acknowledged that she had learned in 2003 that the C.I.A. had subjected suspects to waterboarding, but she asserted that the agency had misled Congress about its techniques.

At a tense press conference, Ms. Pelosi said for the first time that a staff member alerted her in February 2003 that top lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee had been briefed on the use of tough interrogation methods on terror suspects.

The money clip is where she wants to reiterate what she was told, but won't do it without looking at her notes to make sure she gets the wording exactly right; that's already hitting heavy rotation on Fox News.



Steny Hoyer isn't doing Pelosi any favors:

Hoyer -- a polished floor debater -- was drawn into an extended exchange with Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on the issue this afternoon and said he didn't have enough information on the briefings to draw a conclusion -- and wasn't inclined to doubt the CIA anyway.

Again, this is a political issue at this point, not at all a criminal one.

My current guess is that she will not be the speaker after the August recess.

 

[Denver]

It's a tricky call at this point. You could be right, depending on how much further these accusations go, how satisfying or unsatisfying her defense to them is, how the public continues to react, and what action the dems feel will benefit them the most.

My guess is that she will still be there, and the issue will fade or be explained away. But it's a bit early to tell either way.

 

[CapelDodger]

It's a tricky call at this point. You could be right, depending on how much further these accusations go, how satisfying or unsatisfying her defense to them is, how the public continues to react, and what action the dems feel will benefit them the most.

My guess is that she will still be there, and the issue will fade or be explained away. But it's a bit early to tell either way.

Why is Nancy Pelosi's defence important? She didn't devise and implement the torture policy.

The GOP tactic here is very familiar, but I don't think it's well-advised. If she should have objected (as her successor did in 2003, from what I understand) there must have been something egregiously wrong with the torture policy. Which was a GOP policy.

The GOP might be better advised not to keep their torture policy in the headlines. But they don't have many straws to grasp at these days, and have great faith in old tricks.

 

[Cicero]

Anybody catch her deer-in-the-headlights press conference today, where she accused the CIA of lying to her?

After the botox treatments, deer in the headlight expression is her normal gaze. It must be frustrating for Nanc to have to smile even when she is being accused of obfuscation, disingenuousness, and outright lying.

 

[ProbeX]

I agree: a little too early to say.

But Pelosi is not appearing to be squeaky clean at the moment imo.

 

[Marc39]

I saw the entire news conference. Poor woman self-destructed on national TV. Worst performance of a politician I've seen in memory. The constant nervousness was bad enough, but, when she needed to refer to her official, legally approved statement, fumbling her way through, it really attained trainwreck and career wreck status.

 

[CapelDodger]

I agree: a little too early to say.

But Pelosi is not appearing to be squeaky clean at the moment imo.

And where does that leave the people who devised and implemented the torture policy? Pretty filthy, I'd have thought.

Methinks the political death of Nancy Pelosi is being much exaggerated. We'll see soon enough.

 

[Marc39]

And where does that leave the people who devised and implemented the torture policy? Pretty filthy, I'd have thought.

Methinks the political death of Nancy Pelosi is being much exaggerated. We'll see soon enough.

You think pourig a few drops of water on someone's face is torture? Visit a torture chamber in Jordan and you'll learn what torture is.

 

[Damien Evans]

You think pourig a few drops of water on someone's face is torture? Visit a torture chamber in Jordan and you'll learn what torture is.

The above post makes baby jeebus cry.

 

[ARubberChickenWithAPulley]

Why is Nancy Pelosi's defence important? She didn't devise and implement the torture policy.

The GOP tactic here is very familiar, but I don't think it's well-advised. If she should have objected (as her successor did in 2003, from what I understand) there must have been something egregiously wrong with the torture policy. Which was a GOP policy.

Actually, I don't think the GOP has much to lose at this point, and I'd say at least some of this is related to talks of prosecuting/investigating Bush administration officials. If they paint Pelosi as having supported (or at least not having objected to) their policy, it only gives her only a few options:
1) Either admit that she supported a policy that she labeled "torture" and apologize for supporting it
2) Deny that she supported it
3) Admit that she supported it, and defend the policy.

Number 1 will paint her as a huge hypocrite, to say the least, and will turn the tables on her calls for investigations.

Number 2 is what she seems to be trying to do, but it could portray her as a liar and a hypocrite if there is real evidence that she actually did know and accept the policy.

Number 3 is about 99.99% unlikely.

Even if she successfully deflects this, Republicans haven't lost anything. Their policy has been painted as torture anyway.

 

[Brainster]

And where does that leave the people who devised and implemented the torture policy? Pretty filthy, I'd have thought.

Again, Pelosi's problem is political, not legal. Several Republicans were also apprised of the EITs, but they're not in trouble because waterboarding is a politically popular issue inside the GOP. But it's very unpopular among Democrats. Hence Pelosi's headaches.

 

[Upchurch]

Again, Pelosi's problem is political, not legal. Several Republicans were also apprised of the EITs, but they're not in trouble because waterboarding is a politically popular issue inside the GOP. But it's very unpopular among Democrats.

...and the rest of the country.

Brainster, are you really saying waterboarding is politically popular inside the GOP?

 

[Tricky]

Speaking as a liberal who usually votes Democrat, I would be VERY happy to see someone else as speaker of the House. She can't self-destruct fast enough for me.

 

[Puppycow]

...and the rest of the country.

Brainster, are you really saying waterboarding is politically popular inside the GOP?

Ever seen 24? Ever seen its ratings?

 

[Shadowdweller]

Not going to happen. Not everybody in the US is as credulous as the idiot JREF conservative fringe.

 

[MattusMaximus]

My current guess is that she will not be the speaker after the August recess.

I agree. I think her days in the Democratic leadership are probably numbered. We'll see...

Speaking as a liberal who usually votes Democrat, I would be VERY happy to see someone else as speaker of the House. She can't self-destruct fast enough for me.

Also agreed.

 

[corplinx]

I never could figure out how she got to speaker anyway. Back when she used to pay lip service to the "war is a halliburton conspiracy" crowd, she was like the left's little Bachmann.

Of course, my district's own Harold Ford Jr. ran against her for speaker, so you could say I am a bit biased.

Seriously though, they are in charge. They call the shots. They still get second hand approval from Obama's popularity. She ain't goin nowhere jack.

 

[corplinx]

Speaking as a liberal who usually votes Democrat, I would be VERY happy to see someone else as speaker of the House. She can't self-destruct fast enough for me.

Who is going to replace her? The house of representatives is stacked with con artists who are in the know or religious nuts who are barely there. Waxman is looking like greasy car salesman more every day as he pushes a incognito auto-bailout under the guise of a green energy "rebate".

Will someone with a clue, spine, and just a tiny modicum of decency stand up?

 

[Texas]

Speaking as a liberal who usually votes Democrat, I would be VERY happy to see someone else as speaker of the House. She can't self-destruct fast enough for me.

She made a very bad mistake in calling the CIA liers. She would have been alright in calling the Bush administration out but Obama has to rely on the CIA and he is already in hot water with many of them now. I have a feeling Obama will take her to the woodshed over this.

 

[MattusMaximus]

She made a very bad mistake in calling the CIA liers. She would have been alright in calling the Bush administration out but Obama has to rely on the CIA and he is already in hot water with many of them now. I have a feeling Obama will take her to the woodshed over this.

I hope he does exactly that. What she did was just plain stupid.