Lauer Pelts Pelosi's Foreign Fling: 'A Lot of People Think She Messed Up

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I suppose you could chalk it up to his concern for the Dems' long-term best interests, but there's no denying that on this morning's "Today," Matt Lauer absolutely unloaded on Nancy Pelosi and her ill-conceived venture into foreign policy.

The segment was entitled "Democratic Diplomacy: Has Pelosi Gone Too Far?", virtually answering the question by its very asking. In the set-up piece, David Gregory rolled two telling clips. The first was of VP Cheney's comments on the Rush Limbaugh show yesterday to the effect that Pelosi's statement regarding her trip was"nonsensical." The second was of former congressman Lee Hamilton, warning that if his fellow Dems box in the president on foreign policy, Americans might conclude that the Democrats have gone "too far."

Interviewing Tim Russert at 7:06 AM ET, Lauer came out guns ablazin'.

LAUER: Vice-President Cheney called Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria "bad behavior," a Washington Post editorial on Thursday called it "counter-productive and foolish," and op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this morning goes a step further and suggests her trip may actually have been a felony, that it may have violated something called the Logan Act. Tim, is this the way the Democrats wanted to get off the mark in terms of foreign affairs?

View video here.

RUSSERT: No, they clearly wanted to distinguish themselves from the president's policies, but you have to be careful, as Congressman Hamilton suggested. One ranking Democrat, Matt, said "we have an alternative Democratic foreign policy." That is going to be very difficult to articulate and put into place when you don't control the White House. On the other hand, Speaker Pelosi issued a statement last night on behalf of the bi-partisan delegation she is leading. Her delegation includes Republican congressmen. She is saying she has done nothing wrong or inconsistent with American foreign policy.

LAUER: Well, that's their side of the story. However, if you look back at the mid-term elections, clearly some voters in this country were unhappy with the administration's foreign policy, specifically in Iraq; it's one of the reasons we think Democrats took control of Congress. But if the Democrats and Speaker Pelosi appear to be acting irresponsibly or incompetently, and let's face it, a lot of people think she messed up on this one, what's the impact for Democrats overall?

RUSSERT: It's considerable. The Democrats have always had a difficulty being competitive with the Republicans in the public voter's mind on national security and foreign policy issues. And if the people perceive missteps, it's going to create and underscore that perceptual problem of Democrats.

LAUER: And let's go back to the point you touched on a second ago. If it's seen . . . what is the bigger and longer-term issue here if a political party is seen as usurping presidential power in designing and implementing foreign policy?

RUSSERT: As we learned in 1994 Matt, when Republicans took control of Congress with the Republican revolution and the Contract With America, people voted for change. But the voters are also willing to turn that around on its head, if they believe people have gone too far. That's why this debate is so important.

Message to Speaker Pelosi: how do you know when you've messed up? When David Gregory and Matt Lauer respectfully cite VP Cheney's criticism of you.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[janereinheimer]

Gee if they’d gone together, there’d have been the World’s Most Powerful Woman and the World’s Smartest. All on the same plane.

How could the Denist have contained himself?

[cookcounty]

My favorite moment of Nancy Google-eyes was at the State of the Union address, sitting behind the President, trying to keep her wits about her while having panic attack after panic attack as she tried to decide what to clap for and what to dismiss.

In her facial expressions she looked like she was riding a motorcycle roaring the wrong way down the freeway with a stuck accelerator.

Watch for a repeat performance next year; "Nancy and the Runaway Harley."

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I really get the sense that Pelosi is on an immature, feminist ego trip.

[expatguy]

Messed Up?

I think that is a bit of an understatement.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[HardStarboard]

>>>I really get the sense that Pelosi is on an immature, feminist ego trip.<<<

Well, she looks very mature! Even very, very mature.

Old and haggard maybe?

[janereinheimer]

Since we aren’t English subjects, even the Queen does not expect women to curtsy and men to bow. Simple handshakes are sufficient.

I don’t remember Condoleeze Rice wearing a headscarf. Is that because she goes to the Middle East on the business of the United States?

Don’t know. Just wondering.

[HardStarboard]

>>>I have a feeling that Team Hillary may be behind this recent assault on Pelosi <<<

Bingo....Hillary doesn't relish the idea of falling to third in the Democrat heirarchy behind both O'bama and Pelosi!

[editor-surveyor]

The problem with trying to capitalize on this is that it will be up to each individual candidate to get this out and into play. We don’t have the media to help us like the Dems do.

[editor-surveyor]

"The people who bleeped are the ones who stayed home last November and allowed the beeotch to be in charge in the first place."

And of the party bosses that failed to prune the RINOs election after election, so the voters did the pruning, and did it drastically. The pendulum will always swing.

[Miss Didi]

That's what tipped me to the fact that Pelosi really stepped in it.

Speaking of Rush...

Dim Bulb Pelosi Steps in It

[Miss Didi]

Hillary is probably raging that Pelosi getting so much attention.

Exactly...it must always be about Bill and Hillary. If Sanjaya posed any threat to Mrs. Bill Clinton's coronation, she'd have him tossed off American Idol, too.

[justiceseeker93]

IMO, the leadership of the GOP are all eunochs.

The other day, another FReeper called the GOP the "Gelded Old Party" and said they needed a testicular transplant. I replied that they needed an elephant testicular transplant, and preferably two elephant testicles rather than one.

[Aquinasfan]

YIIIIIIIKES!!!!

What an idiot. I mean, IDIOT!

Thanks for the pics.

[Aquinasfan]

So, Pelosi being a liberal Catholic, as well as a liberal Democrat among other things, won’t wear a head covering out of respect for her God, or for attending Mass in her own religion, but instead kow-tows to muslim sensibilities for the sake of a good photo op.

Great point.

[Aquinasfan]

My favorite moment of Nancy Google-eyes was at the State of the Union address, sitting behind the President, trying to keep her wits about her while having panic attack after panic attack as she tried to decide what to clap for and what to dismiss. In her facial expressions she looked like she was riding a motorcycle roaring the wrong way down the freeway with a stuck accelerator.

LOL! That would make it worth tuning in for.

[Marysecretary]

Power has made her look very foolish (as if she didn’t before, but...). She’s bending over backwards to kiss their butts but I’m afraid she’s the one who will end up getting HER butt kicked. I hope she gets kicked out of Congress next time around. She’s such an idiot.

[Marysecretary]

Power has made her look very foolish (as if she didn’t before, but...). She’s bending over backwards to kiss their butts but I’m afraid she’s the one who will end up getting HER butt kicked. I hope she gets kicked out of Congress next time around. She’s such an idiot.

[Smocker]

I don’t think it really changes my opinion, pacifying the sensibilities of Muslims doesn’t really rank high on my list of things I admire about actions by American women overseas.

[MEG33]

Was Nancy at a Mosque when she wore the scarf?

[Paperdoll]

They had to be RINOs. A true Republican would not have defied the President. And defy him they did.