Posted on 07/06/2008 4:26:50 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - When San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi ascended to speaker of the House 18 months ago, liberals cheered. Now some jeer, calling her a traitor to her principles.
In just the past two weeks, this former opponent of the Iraq war negotiated a deal to fund it for one more year.
Then, this longtime defender of civil liberties compromised on a surveillance bill critics say covers up illegal wiretapping by the Bush administration and telecom companies.
"You'd have to really think your constituents were stone-cold stupid to count that a victory," fumed liberal blogger Michael Lazzaro, known as Hunter on Daily Kos, about the surveillance deal.
But in an illustration of the intricate balancing act of politics, some of the very moves that have sparked liberal ire across the country are drawing a quite different reaction in the nation's capitol.
Pelosi, once deemed by conservatives as a shrill and impractical outsider, is now being seen as a clever pragmatist positioning her party for success at the polls - and with the next president.
"She's a pretty canny politician and knows how to limit risks by cutting deals," said John Feehery, a Republican Party strategist who was spokesman for Pelosi's predecessor, Dennis Hastert.
"In her heart of hearts, you know she hated that (surveillance) deal, but she had to get something done," he added. "She knows you live to fight another day."
Pelosi herself is quite aware of the tightrope she walks.
At a recent breakfast with reporters, she admitted the surveillance compromise "was a cause for great anger."
She is also regularly reminded how her Iraq war efforts are being received: At various times over the past year a dozen or more anti-war protesters have camped outside her Pacific Heights home.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
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Oh yeah, Nancy. Stall, I mean Position.
$6 a gallon prices late summer will really impress a lot of folk of how you and Harry are such pragmatists.
Been to Iraq lately?
well obviously many hillary supporters would not like pelosi
because she tilted to obama a long time ago.
Then, this longtime defender of civil liberties compromised on a surveillance bill critics say covers up illegal wiretapping by the Bush administration and telecom companies.
Given that her public positions on both were blatant demogoguery, which even she couldn't believe, how could she being the disaster of actually implementing her deceits? There'd have been no hiding from the effects, even just a few months afterwards.
I think she is fully aware of how stone-cold stupid her constituents are, or she wouldn't have demogogued you on the previous positions on those and many other issues that she has.
Only fools believe politician’s promises. No matter what party.
Who cares what Pelosi says anyway? She still hasn’t kept her major campaign promises to the Dems. And she won’t keep today’s promises.
Queen Bee Nanacy REPRESENTS “stone-cold stupid constituents” - they keep on sending her back to Congress, don’t they?
The modern Mafioso matriarch, all suburban and with the most expensive of furnishings in the house, hosting people of the upper levels of society, regaling them with the best of wine and food, and with the support of the financial institutions and power brokers all across and beyond her district.
It is good to be the Queen.
Pelosi and Reid are incompetent politicians who squandered their clout. Their stubborn obstruction on drilling may be the last nail in their coffins. If Dems don’t pick up or even lose seats in November, they’re doomed.
Don't count out their constituents. As a previous poster noted, they have repeatedly demagogued their constituents and their constituents keep reelecting them.
Both, I’d say.
One way to get her is if the GOP got some guts. Next time a vote comes up conerning funding the troops and the democrats don’t want to do it.....let them win. If we have to pull out of Iraq, tell the whole world why. Then tell the world that the Democrats will not defend any of them any longer. Show them for what they are.....a bunch of money hungry cowards.
Where are the lower gas prices, Nancy? Prices have doubled since you made that promise.
“Next time a vote comes up conerning funding the troops and the democrats don’t want to do it.....let them win.”
Too late. Dems just passed 162 billion war funding the war thru next June.
“Don’t count out their constituents”
I was referring to their majority. If the pubbies can win back some seats, we can sing ding dong the witch is dead.
I wouldn’t expect Pelosi would be voted out in SF. Reid could be vulnerable in Nevada tho.
Won’t anyone answer the question? I’m not a liberal, but I’d go with “Traitor.” When you are talking about a ‘Rat, traitor is never a bad choice to describe them!
Pelosi’s energy policy has been shown to be worse than a failure (prices paid by ‘rats increasing faster with ‘rats in charge).
She went to Syria knowing that that country has been directly responsible for deaths and injuries to US Forces in Iraq.
Ptuh!
Ah, liberals fighting, music to my ears.
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