Pelosi, in her most breathless Marilyn Monroe voice,

[MzNov]

with George Snuffaluffaguss:

... "I have great respect for the President...." blink blink, lovely smile.

This is why I never watch this slop on TV, just happened to turn it on this morning.

How can ANYONE have so much respect for this "president" ???? He's responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, he's a cowardly pathological liar, and there's a list ten miles long of his atrocities. But no........ not our Nancy, she's still in fantasyland somewhere, praying for Dear Leader and pushing her nonpartiasanshit agenda.

Her display on TV today is the most sickening performance I've seen by any slick politician in a long time. Clearly, this woman is not what this country needs to lead any branch of a government that has been raped and pillaged by the worst group of thugs and cons in this nation's history.

YUCK. :puke:

:rant: :grr: :grr:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

1. She should be Shunning him. eom

[Captain Hilts]

2. She has nothing to gain from saying anything else, other than making it look personal, or petty. nt

[Le Taz Hot]

3. She sure as hell isn't

gaining anything by fawning over him on national TV either. :puke: It makes her look like the weak, spineless wimp she is. She's an embarrassment to smart, capable, strong women everywhere and she needs to be replaced.

[MzNov]

11. Here here. Bravo.

:bounce:

[Cha]

135. Bravissima!

Touche!

[cali]

5. OK, but why does she have to say it.

And if asked directly, why can't she say that she has great respect for the office of the presidency but considers bushco a failed leader?

[Wetzelbill]

6. yeah, because Bush elevates his dumbass above a debate

while his minions go completely berserk, almost any personal attack on him by another big-time Dem often looks petty. Now it's different if somebody specifically and harshly criticises him, like the way Gore has done in some of his speeches about the war etc, because that is pretty effective. But no Dem leader has anything to gain by saying something personal on a show like that. I think it's bad enough when you just keep reiterating over and over and over that the guy vetoed health care for children.

[Bluebear]

7. Personal? Petty? Don't tell me that's how you regard what Bush has done in 7 years?

[MzNov]

12. Seems to me it was very "personal" when she said he was insane,

before she became SOTH.

[MzNov]

9. she most certainly has our respect to gain, if nothing else....

I've claimed for a long time that the reason she won't put impeachment out there is because she has some perverted crush on her president.... she loves him.

:puke:

[Cha]

136. That's what nancy's acting like

now that she's the speaker, eh? :(

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. WHO made her SAY IT in the first place? Was someone twisting her arm?

I don't think so.

[Howardx]

100. bzzzz drone "defend the party* bzzzz n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

132. 1,000,000 dead Iraqis later. nt.

[Cha]

133. So, she either lies her fucking

head off or she doesn't have "great respect" for the pretzel? If she doesn't have "great respect" ..what else is she Lyin' about?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. Why does she do this crap? nt

[saltpoint]

8. Pelosi is observing traditional protocol.

As usual, and for a damned long time, she got it right.

Her role as Speaker is weakened if she is perceived as a vehement opponent of the White House, and it is strengthened if her public remarks are not inflammatory.

Were we to have a private, off-the-record chat with Nancy Pelosi, my hunch is we'd hear a keener assessment. As the weeks and months of the 7th-into-8th year of this administration roll on, her work will prevail over the president's.

She likely knows this, and observtion of standard protocol is appropriate.

Letters to Senators we strongly oppose still are addressed "The Honorable .... " in keeping with the protocol.

One respects the people's office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue even when one votes fiercely against its particular inhabitants. That protocol is a crucial part of a deliberative, constitutional republic and should be maintained and respected.

[MzNov]

24. and you think her role as Speaker is strenghtened by spouting off

phony BS about the prez. Nobody is buying it.

She had my respect until her spine caved in.

[saltpoint]

29. I seriously doubt you have examined the Speaker's back.

She strikes me as quite the sturdiest of career women and a sturdy, honorable grandma as well.

Protocol matters.

[MzNov]

34. True. But those wonderful qualities are not helping the country.

Soldiers and civilians are still being unnecessarily killed. She has a powerful position to bring about an end to it. I'm all for Grandmothers. Just not a grandmotherly attitude in the current atmosphere. She can save that for family reunions.

[saltpoint]

37. Says who they aren't helping? Consider, please, the raise in minimum wage

legislation, and consider also that the public record does not show a pro-Bush position for the Speaker; rather, the opposite and a skilled management of same.

Are you a voter in her district? If so, vote for someone else.

If not, it wouldn't appear to be your call.

[MzNov]

43. Oh, but it IS my call. As it is everyone's call in this district.

It is exactly our call!

[saltpoint]

48. Well, it's the wrong call. If you're in her district, you're in the distinct

minority.

And those around you are well-educated and wholly alert citizens whose votes also count, and quite a hell of a lot more of them count for the Speaker than against her.

And properly so.

[MzNov]

55. That is your opinion. and I doubt you live here or you would see

how the atmosphere has changed. I consider myself alert and well educated too, if that's where you are going, no brain surgeon but have worked in politics myself. One does not have to be a Rhodes Scholar to get it.

[saltpoint]

63. I was long a resident of Pelosi's district and volunteer for her and Sen. Boxer.

I am still in touch with many SF and Berkeley pols.

There is no reason to believe that disenchantment with the war equals a disdain for Nancy Pelosi nor any threat to her re-election.

You are more to the point with your being appalled at the war and destruction in its wake than with the Speaker's efforts to slow Bush to a halt, which she has done on repeated legisltation subsequent to the 2006 elections.

[MzNov]

75. When and where has she slowed Bush to a halt???

That's a very interesting claim.

The 2006 Election was all about the Iraq illegal invasion. Nancy Pelosi stated, and I don't have the exact quote but will find it: The first thing I will do is end the war. Now, I'm thinking she didn't mean the war on drugs or the war on the Easter Bunny.

[saltpoint]

79. You have inappropriately abbreviated her steerage of anti-Iraq legislation

through the House, which was narrowly approved by a slim majority and subsequently vetoed by the president.

I'm not seeing how Bush's veto and the subsequent Republican override is the fault of the Democratic House Speaker.

[MzNov]

81. you are totally twisting my assertions. When has she halted bush?????

[saltpoint]

85. Do try to use your inside voice, Ms. November. One question mark will

suffice.

I've responded to the point on Pelosi's legislation at least 3 times in this thread and it remains for you to check the Congressional record to see if I have misrepresented her.

I don't believe I have.

[MzNov]

89. Actually, I love question marks. Does DU's rules state only one

question mark may be used to discuss subjects with irrational responders???????

[saltpoint]

92. They do so state, yes. It was in an addenum sent by memo after the

initial rules posting of early days.

You likely didn't get that memo, as you were out trashing the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

[MzNov]

96. Of course, that's the only activity on my agenda these days.

Trashing her personally, no. I like grandmothers. Trashing her leadership abilities, yes.

[saltpoint]

98. Well, we disagree. I expect that her constituents will, in very large numbers,

return her to Washington to represent them, and that her colleagues will renew her tenure as Speaker.

It does appear that there is a strong case to be made for her leadership qualities if in fact so many astute folks see them in her and endorse them when given repeated chances.

[MzNov]

104. It depends on the quality of her opponent. Her return to congress is

not inevitable.

[saltpoint]

112. Right -- but it's damned likely.

[acmavm]

87. Oh crap. This man has totally make a mockery of the office of the President

and he has disgraced our country and turned it into the old Soviet Union.

Find me something to respect.

[saltpoint]

90. Not my job. Also, it's not the point at hand.

Liberals dislike Bush. Grass is green. Sky is blue. Etc.

No new ground there.

The issue is whether Nancy Pelosi is to blame for liberals not having drive-through satisfaction.

I say she isn't.

[MzNov]

105. Drive-through satisfaction??

Is THAT what liberals want? Ah ha. The mystery is solved !!!!!! (have a few exclamation points)

[acmavm]

109. Drive-through satisfaction? Oh brother. Is that what you would call putting

out the fire before the house burnt completely down?

Drive through satisfaction? Now I have to bookmark this thread because it contains one of the most overly simplistic and disingenuous excuses for Pelosi's quisling behavior that I've ever seen on DU.

edit: To fix some really poor grammer and puncuation mistakes made while I was laughing my ass off.

[saltpoint]

111. I'm proud to be a part of your cyber scrapbook, acmavm.

[acmavm]

116. That's good. I have some real doozies saved. One day I'll have a good

laugh as I go through and weed them all out.

[saltpoint]

124. Well, you can if you want. But if you have that kind of discretionary time

on your hands, try organizing something there in Nebraska along a grassroots line to send more Democrats to Washington.

It'd be more of a contribution in the long run.

[MzNov]

113. Ah, thank you for saying it so well.

[AlinPA]

83. As she holds his hand in the Rose Garden, and smiles with adoration at him....

[MzNov]

86. Remember when she said she would like to take his hand in

friendship ferrchrissakes?? That's when I knew we have lost her.

[AlinPA]

91. She appears to worship him in those pictures. Sickening. nt

[saltpoint]

94. The smiles were likely smiles of pity, and she held his hand because he's

simply too cognitively impired to find his way back to the building.

[AlinPA]

103. Sorry, I've seen several pictures and she looks like a child worshipping

Santa Claus or something like that.

[MzNov]

118. It's the Easter Bunny.

[MzNov]

117. Now that I can agree with.

It's the grandmother syndrome again!

[hisownpetard]

97. There's a difference between being civil and being chummy. She should be the former. Acting

as though she finds him to be totally acceptable as a President and/or a human being
is repugnant to me.

[in_cog_ni_to]

10. What bullshit. How could she possibly respect that piece of crap?

That's just ridiculous! She has got to be one of very few left in the world who does respect the psycho. Sheesh. What an idiot....and then she says it on National TeeVee???(*&^%$#:grr: Damn. Is there any wonder why Congress' poll numbers are in the toilet? Nancy has turned out to be a GREAT disappointment to me.:( It's now time to remove my Pelosi bumper sticker. This is just too uch. She respects the PSYCHO??? Is she out of her freakin' mind?!

[Jackpine Radical]

13. Wanna wreck your brain?

Try imagining Al Gore doing anything remotely similar.

If you manage that somehow, you don't know enough. Go read Gore's Assault on Reason & try it again.

[MzNov]

16. and Nancy's new book will be called "Assault on Realty"

[librechik]

15. Without Pelosi we'd have Steny Hoyer, corporare sex slave.

not much of a fucking choice. Pelosi has struck me as disastrously slight since the very beginning. But Hoyer is a stone cold crook.


AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

[MzNov]

19. The majority leader does not automatically assume the position

of Speaker, should she do the right thing and go back into the rank and file BushDogs. The Speaker is elected by the members.

[librechik]

23. I know--I'm just saying that if she steps down, he would get the chair, no doubt.

He almost got it the first time. And conditions have not improved in the House as far as letting the people have more of a say

[MzNov]

26. I agree, he's dumber than a box of hair.

But not quite as stubborn I think ?? He changed his tune when the progressive caucus stood up to him. he's a major amoeba.

[Jackpine Radical]

32. A dyed-in-the-wool corporatist.

He would be worse than Nancy, I think.

[librechik]

44. he's an amoeba in the colon of the Financial Industry

here's a fascinating article about Steny, in which fellow politicians compare him to a well-groomed assistant manager at a fine hotel, and an over enthusiastic rush chairman at a second rate fraternity.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0611.roth.html

[MzNov]

50. and there you go. Grandfather!

We've got mammy and pap pap running the House. :rofl:

[OzarkDem]

137. Steny Hoyer is already running things, Pelosi has given up her power

She's caved to his agenda, she's nothing more than Hoyer's puppet.

[madokie]

17. Slop is right on

I watch KO in the evenings and catch a posted clip of Stewart and Colbert when I can and thats all. I highly recommend all to do that very same thing too. I expect to live and love many more years more for having done so too.

'bout forgot to mention Bill Moyers ;-)

[MzNov]

21. You would never hear any one of them saying the crap that Pelosi says!

They speak the truth to power, not some political garbage trying to market how wonderful the House is after passing all of those great bills.... gaaack. What do they matter if we're in a facist police state with Raisin Brain veto-izing and signing statements everything???? The only way we had to stop the monsters was impeachment, or no funding. Congratuations Nancy, you've done so well for the people of this country. Nobody out here respects him. And that includes Republicans, some of whom are actually saying it honestly.

[The River]

18. It Was As Bad

a Sunday Morning "Pander Job" as I've ever seen.
No matter who is in charge
the People of this Country loose.

[MzNov]

20. I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing....

[still_one]

22. I don't watch the MSM, but based on your account, why did she need to say that

"she has so much respect for the president?"

Does she really believe that?

If a person has nothing good to say about another person, you don't have to say anything, but to say she has so much respect for the president, you have to be kidding me

Who is she trying to attract, and who is she trying to alienate?

You could argue the point why impeachment does or doesn't make sense, either strategically or otherwise, but for her to make a comment like this makes her look ridiculous

Obviously, our leadership in Congress is something less than desired

It is only because of the Supreme Court in 2008, that I am holding back on the loathing I feel toward the Democratic leadership in Congress

[MzNov]

28. It's very odd and curious to me. She's always acted to me like

a kindly grandmother who knows the kids are bad, bad, bad, and trying to bring them around by "praying" and being sickningly sweet.... aww hell, I don't know. But she does not have to say these things to get her own party in a frenzy. It's very irresponsible and immature.

:shrug:

[EST]

30. A study, not so terribly recently, found that heart bypass patients

fared less well when they were prayed for than not. Praying for dubby might well be a good idea, with that in mind.

[MzNov]

36. In her interview on ABC today, she said that Bush told her that her

praying wasn't working.

[still_one]

47. I am glad we didn't do that with Hitler during World War II, or we wouldn't be here /nt

[saltpoint]

33. Her constituents in her California district, among the best-educated and

politically savvy in the country, return her in astounding percentages to represent them in repeated elections.

You might ask why this is so.

My thought is they trust her to do a good job, perceive that she is doing a good job, and that they wish for her to continue doing so.

[MzNov]

46. Things have changed. We used to trust her. And we will continue

to return her to congress, I don't doubt. Just NOT as Speaker.

[saltpoint]

53. Her colleagues in the House determine whether she continues to be Speaker,

not her constituents.

That's how the process works.

[MzNov]

I will rephrase: Just not as Speaker, so we hope.

[saltpoint]

73. But who's 'we'? I hope she does continue as Speaker and see no reason why

her colleagues in the House should replace her.

[MzNov]

84. You have stated your opinion frequently. Thank you for your input.

[saltpoint]

88. You're welcome. And who know -- I may state my opinion again sometime.

[MzNov]

93. I for one shall all be awaiting your insight .

from the edge of my chair

[saltpoint]

95. Don't lean so far left on that chair that you fall off.

[MzNov]

101. As will your leaning too far to the right. Same result. You'll fall off.

[saltpoint]

107. Odds are that Cindy Sheehan will earn many leftists' votes, but this is a

district which includes many Matt Gonzales voters, many of whom are developed and evolved leftists, and it's my hunch that many will reject Sheehan's run and vote for Pelosi.

I volunteered for Gonzales, by the way, over Newsome.

I'm at least as left on the chair as you, maybe more, but more firmly positioned in the long-term outcome of U.S. politics.

Your trashing of Pelosi in this thread is just fall-off talk. In a little more than a year, Pelosi likely returns to her seat by a large percentae over Sheehan and other challengers, and will be the Speaker of the House in (I hope) a very Democratic White House from Jan. 09 forward.

[MzNov]

121. Your obsession with hyphenated descriptive adjectives is very amusing.

You continue to miss the entire point. So I would submit that you've fallen off at the very beginning of this thread, which you have never understood. Of course you volunteered for Gonzales. Of course.

It's not the point whether Nancy Pelosi goes back to Congress. It's a long time until the election. Unlike you, I don't own a crystal ball, your only source.

I don't care if she gets re-elected. I think she has many good qualities. But she has fooled her loyal followers. That is now. Not the future. I am dealing with now, the Iraq invastion, Pelosi's actions today, now. Not a long-range idealist future where smiling grandmothers turn evil dictators into kind and enlightened leaders.

[saltpoint]

126. Were we to sit down over a cup of coffee or a cold beer I just betcha

we'd agree on many objectons to the desecration of the office by the Bush administration.

As far as I'm concerned, that is a sound starting point.

[MzNov]

128. Ahh coffee, I am off to make some.

[still_one]

49. Because a viable candidate needs to run against her /nt

[saltpoint]

51. One may. I don't think that will be the case however in 08. Do you?

[still_one]

54. Nope, but that is the real issue with the Democratic voters.

If they don't like who is representing them, they should put people up that do

[saltpoint]

57. Which is a sensible grassroots response, as opposed to irrational

caterwauling on DU posts against Nancy Pelosi.

[MzNov]

59. Irrational caterwauling???? Where???

my my, maybe we can pray for you.

[saltpoint]

64. Pray all ya want. I still like my Lou Reed and Rolling Stones and won't give

them up for anybody.

[still_one]

66. It is a cathartic experience, especially when people don't think they have the power to do anything

I do agree with you though

[saltpoint]

69. I hear you. I do prefer blue caterwauling to red caterwauling, generally

speaking.

The woman's been on the job for only 9 months.

The baby's just been born. Nurturing and growth require long-range investment.

[MzNov]

74. We don't have the time for long-range investment!

We are not here to train Nancy Pelosi, or sit and patiently wait for her evolement into an effective speaker.

[saltpoint]

76. We do in fact have time for long-range investment, and that is what we

do every day as citizens, as parents, as grandparents, as neighbors, as activitst, and as friends.

You have a grudge against Nancy Pelosi and it's showing. Did you post singularly anti-Hastert posts? Were his protestations in favor of the administration's Middle East policies not more egregious than Pelosi's attempt to shove anti-Iraq legislation through the chamber?

Why did we not hear from you when Denny Hastert supported the president so blindly?

[saltpoint]

25. I like Nancy Pelosi.

More to the point, we did not fare well as a nation under the manipulations of the former Republican Speaker and his pal Tom DeLay.

We have done quite a bit better under Nancy Pelosi and are likely to continue to do well under Nancy Pelosi, who by the way, has navigated anti-Iraq War legislation through to narrow victory in the chamber.

The key word there is "narrow." A lot of representatives opposed the measures but work can be done on behalf of their political opponents to increase the majority the Speaker has to work with.

By way of contrast, I count exactly zero anti-Bush initiatives steered through committee and floor by Mr. Hastert.

[still_one]

52. but why say you have great respect for the president, when it isn't true?

unless she really does have great respect for bush?

[saltpoint]

61. I've offered an explanation of protocol elsewhere in this thread.

That protocol has been in place for some years.

Pelosi is showing good instinct to observe it and it will pay good dividends for our side as the weeks and months go forward into what will likely be a further deterioration of our position in the Middle East, couple with increasing financial strains and social division on key domestic issues in the U.S., resulting in a likely increase on our part's majorities in both chambers.

Any Speaker, of any party, needs a working majority for optimal effectiveness.

[MzNov]

62. so says you

[saltpoint]

65. Correct. So says me.

So says 'I' actually, if the nominative is to be honored.

[Warren Stupidity]

134. "We have done quite a bit better under Nancy Pelosi"

Uh, no we haven't. At best the across the board rightward slide has been stalled in some areas. The War Party agenda, on the other hand, has sailed through both houses of congress while anything remotely resembling a progressive agenda has gone down to defeat either in one of the chambers are by executive veto.

[EST]

27. Ah, the impatience and passion of youth--and the not so youthful.

The gears of social interaction work none too well in the best of times. Deliberately throwing sand into the gears won't aid in any material way, although it might appease, momentarily, some activists to whom the process means little.

Here's the deal.
The way it works, if you draw too much fire, if you are terminally brilliant with your barbs and condemnation, you will be deemed irrelevant and you will wind up not only accomplishing nothing of what you set out to do, but actually endangering the process.
You can't do any good if you aren't there. "Oil the one that squeaks" can quickly become "shoot the one that quacks."
I agree that Nancy Pelosi seems too shell shocked and pensive to actually use her good offices to facilitate the changes that we see as critical, but her going off on a tirade against bush, while momentarily satisfying, is about as sure a ticket as there is to oblivion.

[MzNov]

31. A tirade is not necessary. But a show of strength and leadership is.

When have we had such an administration?? Not one that I can recall. Killers, liars, cons, manipulators. Now more than ever we need a strong leader. And sadly, Nancy is not what we need. Her diplomacy can be turned around against him also. She does not need to appear like Mother Teresa. She is a smart politician I have no doubt. But she's not effective for this particular time in our nation's history.

[EST]

56. While I certainly agree with your sentiment and assessment.

I am reminded of the fable of the frog king.
In case you are unfamiliar with it, there was once a colony of frogs, living happily and peacefully at the edge of the bog, near the big river. Long before the present instant, they had felt the need for a king, a leader to be proud of, whose commitment and sympathies lay with the frogs.
With near unanimity, they had elected the log. The log was the remains of an ancient tree stump on which the frogs had sat, sung and sunned for generations beyond memory and all the frogs revered its patience and pleasant demeanor, as well as its contribution to frog society.

Then came the night of the big storm. The frogs were nearly paralyzed with shock, disbelief and horror the next morning, as they emerged from shelter and found that the great storms had swept away their king.
Leaderless, they were in fear. "Oh, who will protect and save us now?" they cried."The terrorists will surely kill us all. We must have a new, powerful king or we are doomed!"

At that moment, a stately crane came walking through the bog, calmly oblivious to danger and obviously powerful and every inch the king you'd most like to have a beer with.
Well, the election was held and the frogs elected the crane king. The first thing he did, of course, was start gobbling up frogs.
Be careful what you wish for--you might get it.

[bigtree]

35. Tip O'Neill comes to mind

House Speaker Tip O'Neil was quoted as saying about Reagan, "He's always got a disarming story. I don't know where he gets them, but he's always got them. He calls up: 'Tip, you and I are political enemies only until 6 o'clock. It's 4 o'clock; now, can we pretend it's 6 o'clock?' How can you dislike a guy like that?"

[MzNov]

39. Exactly!! Wasn't LBJ another effective Speaker??

:shrug:

[saltpoint]

40. If you like testosterone-brimming bullies, yes, LBJ was very effective.

But he wasn't a very good man and his behavior to others generally and to Hubert Humphrey especially, was abominable.

[Hamlette]

38. consider listening to everything she says

one sentence out of a 15 minute interview is not reason to trash her.

I agreed with everything else she said. She talked about ending the war, minimum wage, heath care for children, not attacking Iraq.

She spent 14 minutes and 50 seconds attacking Bush and you trash her?

The right makes personal attacks instead of talking issues. We don't. And by putting her tongue in her cheek and saying something "nice" about Bush, she makes the right look worse when they attack us personally.

[MzNov]

41. I listened to the entire interview. That one sentence summarizes

why we have NOT ended the Iraq war, as she promised in her campaign. Bush vetoed the children's health care and there is no assurance that she can get the votes to override. Yes, she's trying to. and minimum wage? A good start.

But that one sentence says more to me than the entire total of her statements.

she is a public figure and a representative of my area, one of the most liberal in the country. Yes, I will criticize her lack of leadership, because we desparately need leadership.

[stimbox]

60. Thank you Ms. November!

I feel the same way as you.
And like you, I have lost respect and confidence in our Congressperson.

[arikara]

131. The way I see it...

If she's lying about respecting Bush then she should just not say it at all, some things are better left unsaid. If she's saying it out of political expediency then she's another lying political hack, and the world doesn't need any more of those. If she's telling the truth as she believes it then she's a fool and shouldn't have the job she has.

Its time for a new broom to sweep out these liars, thieves and fools.



edit to add cute photo

[MzNov]

146. Oh dear. She looks like a school girl with a blush and a crush.

Oh I don't mean to trash Pelosi. I was one of her biggest fans. That's it, you know. I was so excited that she was elected Speaker, now the disappointment is crushing.. :-(

[Hamlette]

160. and to think people here want to try diplomacy

geez

[samsingh]

42. why does pelosi say this kind of garbage?

tell the truth - bush is an absolute disgrace and has destroyed US credibility and good will around the world. Tens of thousands of innocent people have died because of bush.

[saltpoint]

45. In fact, following your proposal to its logical conclusion, why doesn't the

Speaker lead an angry, irrational mob to the White House and burn it to the ground?

Why hasn't Nancy Pelosi destroyed the White House? Bush is bad, and Bush lives there, so by ALL COUNTS she should have destroyed the White House by now.

Christ, it's been 9 whole months and the building is still STANDING!

[Occulus]

67. I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

"logical conclusion"

[saltpoint]

71. (smiling).

[MzNov]

68. Because she doesn't need to do that. She has so much power

without using one morsel of violence. She will not use her power. and we want to know why !! Because she respects the President who deserves no one's respect???


The office itself is what deserves respect. The office of POTUS should be respected. BUSH DOESN'T RESPECT IT.

[saltpoint]

72. Pelosi's anti-Iraq War legislation was the narrowest of House votes.

Please explain what power and leveraging she has over those reps who voted against her and for Bush to reverse their votes.

The House is comprised of both Kucinich AND John Boehner. Any Speaker has to navigate the entire ideological spectrum.

I think Pelosi has done a great job.

[MzNov]

77. But why does she respect the President???

Nobody respects this President.

[MzNov]

80. Actually I think her words were I have great respect for the President. Even worse.

[saltpoint]

82. The current polling says that c. 33% of the electorate are supportive of,

if not wholly respectful of, this president.

Much closer to 100% are respectful of the office of the presidency, which is the people's office, and whose protocol Pelosi was observing in her public comments about the president.

[MzNov]

99. You are wrong. She was not using courteous protocol regarding the "office".

She was directly speaking about Bush, the man. (pardon the contradiction)

[saltpoint]

102. And in so doing honors the office, without supporting the ideological

agenda of the man.

[MzNov]

110. I have no doubt she respects the office.

But I think she's infatuated and charmed by the monster who holds it.

[saltpoint]

114. Could be you've misread her perceptions.

[MzNov]

115. Doubt it. She's done it before.

Politics is so much about appearance.

[saltpoint]

119. Appearance counts, yes, but it's even more about election results.

Pelosi is likely unbeatable in her district and runs an extremely high likelihood of being Speaker for some time to come.

Your thread trashes her pointlessly after many years of liberal service to her approving constituents.

[MzNov]

122. You are wrong and you miss the point.

You continue to insist that your OPINION indeed is the only rational explanation.

[samsingh]

sound good!

[saltpoint]

127. There may be legal ramifications, however.

Worth considering.

[samsingh]

152. they would be pretty significant.

[kurth]

58. Pelosi on Bush: "A lovely man. A great President. I respect him. I adore him. I wanna service him"

WTF.

[MzNov]

70. exactly.

[Zandor]

78. So she should be an irreleavnt Sheehan type?

Screeching and irrelevant?

If you want to hold positions of power and influence, you do have a certain level of civility to maintain.

[AlinPA]

106. OK, but holding hands in the Rose Garden? Smiling like she worships him?

[Zandor]

153. She may be a bit too kind

But she won't and shouldn't engage in the rhetoric some of her critics here would like.

[MzNov]

158. Her critics would like her to engage in the rhetoric she used

BEFORE she was Speaker.

And then, just for thrills, enforce the Constitutional duties that she is empowered to do.

Rhetoric indeed.

[Zandor]

159. Rhetoric is the basis of this thread topic

Nancy's crime is talking too nice.

[AlinPA]

161. It's not the rhetoric nor the tone of her rhetoric that irks me, its the

hand holding and adoring smile she gives him like a junior high cheerleader looking at the star quarterback.

[MzNov]

108. So you are using this as a bash Cindy thread?

No one is saying Nancy Pelosi has a civility issue.

[Zandor]

154. Fair to contrast her to her opponent

Sheehan isn't hard to bash, anyway.

[OzarkDem]

138. No, she should just do her job

or go back to representing her district in California.

[Zandor]

155. She is

doing it reasonably well, not perfectly.

[OzarkDem]

157. Not even reasonably well

She's abdicated her leadership role and is letting Hoyer and Emmanuel run the Dem caucus in Congress - and badly at that.

We women didn't fight so hard for women's rights to see such a sad example of Dem women's leadership in Congress.

[Marr]

120. She has respect for GW Bush, and openly disrespects the protestors outside her house

demanding impeachment.

All this Republican/Democrat stuff is kabuki theater. It's the Beltway/business establishment vs. everybody else.

[MzNov]

123. As she says, we are only advocates, they are the leaders!!

[Marr]

125. Yep- that attitude is a big part of the problem, and it's practically indemic.

Many of the people in this country have come to believe they elect leaders rather than representatives.

[Cha]

141. Yeah,

bush=good, protesters=bad. No wonder Impeachment is off the Table..how can you Impeach someone who you have sooooooooooooooo much R-E-S-P-E-C-T for?

[Dukkha]

129. Fine you can share a cell with him

where your traitorous ass is thrown out of Washington

[Imagevision]

130. Clearly, this woman is not what this country needs to lead any branch of a government

Nancy Pelosi's performance should be evaluated and if need be she should be gone with Bush asap!

[mitchtv]

139. I'm sure Steny Hoyer agrees with you

John Boehner too

[Cha]

143. Pete Stark would make

a good Speaker of the House who happens to be an athiest..wouldn't be prayin' for bushit.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/14/MNG7BOKV111.DTL

Thanks for thinkin' of the worst case scenario..but, there's a lot better than nancy.

[MzNov]

145. Pete Stark is awesome!!!

[mitchtv]

149. Worst case?

More like Obvious successor, and Most likely to benefit the most

[lonestarnot]

140. OMG.

Thanks for the fucking warning.

[BlueStater]

142. How did such a spineless wuss end up as speaker?

And if she actually does have respect for him then fuck her and everything she stands for.

[MzNov]

144. Posters keep arguing that she's declaring respect for the office.

That's not what she's saying. And it's not what previous actions have indicated. What about Bush does she respect????

She wants to hold his hand in friendship, with friends like him, who needs enemies?

[BlueStater]

147. Beats the hell out of me

I certaintly don't respect that cowardly, lying shitbag just because he has a title (which he never deserved or rightfully earned in the first place).

Pelosi is a disgrace and hopefully by 2009 we'll be rid of her arrogant ass. We need leaders now more than ever and if you're not going to lead then get the fuck out of the way.

[Vinca]

148. I always wonder how people can refer to "the President" as if

he's completely normal. I remember listening to John Warner speaking on the floor of the Senate about the surge and he kept talking about "the President knows" or the "the President thinks" as if Shrub actually had an original, sane idea that wasn't just a parroting of Rovian talking points. I look at Bush and I see someone who ought to be put on trial for war crimes and locked up for life. He's evil, sociopathic and nothing even close to normal.

[Cha]

150. They're all livin' in

freakin' nightmare world where zombies rule.

[bvar22]

151. I thought Nancy was the leader of the "Opposition Party".

My mistake.

I'm all better now.

[The Stranger]

156. The Pelosi disaster gets even worse.

How were we so misled?