Posted on 05/21/2004 6:47:42 AM PDT by jmstein7
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) delivered an attack aimed at President Bush both in a Capitol Hill news conference and in an interview given to her hometown newspaper Thursday afternoon.
Pelosi's remarks stood in sharp contrast with those of the president who made a trip to Capitol Hill yesterday to deliver a message meant to rally Republican lawmakers.
"I believe that the president's leadership and the actions taken in Iraq demonstrate an incompetence in terms of knowledge, judgment, and experience," Pelosi told reporters gathered to hear her remarks.
"This president should have known ... when you decide to go to war you have to know what the consequences of your action are and how you can accomplish the mission," Pelosi said.
The House Democratic leader added, "There was plenty of intelligence to say there would be chaos in Iraq following the fall of Baghdad."
"The results of his action are what undermine his leadership, not my statements," she said. "The emperor has no clothes. When are people going to face the reality?"
In a separate interview granted to the San Francisco Chronicle, Rep. Pelosi went even further, saying, "Bush is an incompetent leader. In fact, he's not a leader. He's a person who has no judgment, no experience and no knowledge of the subjects that he has to decide upon."
"Not to get personal about it, but the president's capacity to lead has never been there," Pelosi said.
"In order to lead, you have to have judgment. In order to have judgment, you have to have knowledge and experience. He has none," she added.
Pelosi has long been known for her opposition to the war in Iraq. She joined ten other House Democrats in voting against authorizing the president to use force to disarm Saddam's regime.
Following her vote against the war, she promised that Democrats would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Bush in the war on terror.
Her lengthy remarks drew sharp responses from Republican spokesmen.
Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Chairman Marc Racicot addressed John Kerry, saying, "As leader of the Democratic Party, John Kerry needs to repudiate Nancy Pelosi's efforts to blame American deaths in Iraq on the President. No one is to blame for these deaths in Iraq but the terrorists who are trying to prevent freedom from coming to the Middle East."
In response to Pelosi's remarks, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said, "To angry Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy, terrorists and militia aren't responsible for the deaths of U.S. soldiers, their commander-in-chief is. And our servicemen and women, in putting torture chambers 'under U.S. management,' are no different than a regime that systematically tortured, raped and killed its own people."
"The San Francisco/Boston Democrats led by John Kerry have now adopted Blame America First as their official policy," Gillespie continued in a statement issued to the press.
In comments published on his web site, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) said, "Mrs. Pelosi has the right to disagree with President Bush, and it is clear that she has a different vision from the President. But her comments questioning the President's competence cross the line."
"We are in the middle of a war and in the middle of a political campaign. Mrs. Pelosi's comments were meant to inspire her political base. But who else do they inspire? That is the question she should ask herself," Hastert continued.
"Her comments are also wrong," Hastert said.
Further, Hastert said, "Was it incompetence that put Saddam Hussein in jail? Was it incompetence that disbanded the Taliban? Was it incompetence that spurred the fastest economic growth rate in twenty years? Was it incompetence that created the highest home ownership rate in history?"
"Nancy Pelosi should apologize for her irresponsible, dangerous rhetoric," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) told CNN. "She apparently is so caught up in partisan hatred for President Bush that her words are putting American lives at risk."
They are the Party of lies, hatred and vitriol.
The GOP is the Party of action and ideas.
Can't we just frame the coming campaign in these terms?
How about campaign adverts showing video clips of the likes of Pelosi, Hillary, Kerry, and Dean standing up at microphones and screaming?
Then a clip with Dubya, wearing a flight suit, smiling and laughing?
"INTREP - dimoRAT mindless rantings"
No, not quite mindless, but utterly sophmoric. They're trying to make Dubya mad by insulting his main trait, his leadership.
He's not biting the bait hook.
I just sent her a nice thank you e-mail
I would like to just thank you for the wonderful job you are doing to separate Americans and support terrorist. Just reading your statements must have the taliban clapping in their caves. Your serve your party well.
Kathleen
And last but not least, Ms. Pelosi -- if you were the president, what would you have done differently?
If the people are to be given an alternative to vote for this November, I think it would be a good idea for you and Kerry and all the rest to TELL US WHAT THAT ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE.
And don't follow Kerry's lead with the cop-out of "I would go to the U.N. and I would go to foreign capitols", which sounds like you have no plan and would be standing in front of their desks waiting for them to give you orders.
Is that because you have no plan, no judgement, no knowledge?
For Nancy Pelosi to use such heated rhetoric is totally irresponsible. Besides which, it is totally untrue! Her contempt for the President puts friends of mine in the Army and Marine Corps at risk and I don't appreciate it.
There was a time when there was such a thing as "Loyal Opposition" in politics in this country. That is no longer the case. The democratic party (to which I formerly belonged!) is going to be voted into oblivion. Statements like Ms. Pelosi's are going to send the dems there on the A train! To which I say Godspeed!
Regards,
TS
Glad to see the R's are force-feeding the D's their own medicine (repudiate remarks, apologize).
Troll alert!!!
TaxCutter -- signup date 5/21/04 (today)
I know Jim is cracking down on trolls, so I thought I'd bring this guy to you attention.
How about I just stop by his district office after lunch today?
Since when does free speech extend to sedition?
Certainly, we do. But it takes 10 lbs of effort to undue the damage done by 1 lb of sensational, lying rhetoric. If the media reported all sides of an issue, it might not be as bad. But the media will only report what Pelosi says, then say little or nothing about the Republican response, thereby achieving its propaganda objective.
As it is, Pelosi's comments are false. They are inspired by political goals and not sincerity. They do indeed inspire the enemy, of which she is one, and put our troops in danger.
Thanks for the link.
My fax reads: "With apologies to the Dixie Chicks, I am embarrassed to say that Nancy Pelosi is from the State of California."
You think about this. We are at war. Our boys and girls are out there rooting out some of the worst scumbags on earth to keep us from being blown to smithereens.
What does the media do? Undermine our efforts. What does the Democrat party do? Undermine our elected government. They literally do not give a rat's ass about our safety. Their agenda is too important and sacred to be bothered by loyalty to one's country.
Any questions?
Why does this woman remind me of that Jim Carrey movie called, "The Mask"?
I'm so thoroughly disgusted with her, that I'm afraid to email or fax anyone.
No. You are wrong. What Pelosi said was in poor taste, completely wrong, arrogant, and idiotic. While you are right that she does have the right to say it, you are wrong that I at least would condone that if a Republican said that. I hold Republicans to a higher standard because they represent me. I expect this from Democrats. They have proven that this is what they are at their soul, heartless, crude and arrogant. I expect more from my party. For example, while I think he is a brilliant strategist, Newt Gingrich is a vile human being for what he did to his wife. He does not represent my values at all.
Someone remind me again: Why is Hastert the Speaker and not DeLay?
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