Nancy Whiffs
Today’s lopsided vote for Steny Hoyer over Jack Murtha for House Majority Leader has got to make you wonder how smart — or not– Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi might really be.
She and Murtha got routed. And all that was really accomplished was a flurry of media reports emphasizing how corrupt some of the new Democratic leadership is. A week after Americans voted in Democrats to end the war, the Democrats offered a garish public display of just what special interest dinosaurs some of their top folks are. I teach journalism, not public policy, but I’d give Pelosi about D on this maiden exercise. A gentleman’s D.
I haven’t the foggiest as to what went on behind the closed doors of today’s Democratic caucus. But I have to assume that the vote against Murtha built into a landslide precisely because enough Dems were horrified that he’d spend the next 2 years having to talk about ABSCAM instead of Iraq if he became leader.
Back to Pelosi. So what gives? Is she a calculating strategist who got distracted by personal loyalties? Or she just an airhead as Doug Ireland suspects?
David Corn has a less caustic view but concludes, nevertheless, that there’s no way of spinning this chapter: It was a defeat for Pelosi.
After today’s defeat, let’s hope she now backs down from her hare-brained plan to make an impeached corrupt judge the new head of the House Intelligence Committee.
November 16th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
I’m sorry that this episode is over. I’d been looking forward to more commentary on the danger that sleazeball Jack Murtha poses to the Republic and the stunning incompetence and unprecedented defeat of Nancy Pelosi in the Congressional cloakroom. This is one of those discussions that seperates sophisticated people who truly take politics seriously from the average stooge who only cares about stuff like their own economic security or whether we’re stuck in a losing war.
November 16th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
Yeah, lets pack it in. Nancy is toast and the Dems are (wait for it!) . . . In disarray!
Glad we have you and the rest of the Pajamas crowd around to set us straight!
Now about that pennies for Bolton crusade . . .
November 16th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
And of course you “teach journalism” Marc. What part of the syllabus covers “Dems always screw up and whatever the news its bad for them and good for the GOP”. You’ve got to teach them that or the little darlings will never work for CNN, FOX, WaPo NYT etc. . .
What Doug Ireland got off his usual rants about persecuted gays in (pick your country)? I mean even John Aravosis talks about other stuff!
November 16th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Some more inside baseball news. The “Blue Dog” Democrats have sent a letter to Pelosi urging the appointment of Jane Harman as Chair of House Intelligence.
November 16th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Her Fearlessness offers an upbeat alternative take on Pelosi/Murtha: http://tinyurl.com/yce8jz
November 16th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Now after all this edifying discussion of the machinery of the House (and the wonderful feeling of superiority it gives us over those wretched pols) let discuss something that for some reason or another Gallup tells us is on the top of the public’s agenda these days. And, strangely enough, it ain’t who the House Majority Leader will be.
Several news souces (NYT , GUARDIAN) are reporting that Bush – egged on by Henry Kissinger – wants to put another 20,000 troops in Iraq for one last push.
(“One Last Push” – doesn’t that sound like the British Generals at the Somme? Do I hear strains of “Tipperary” in the background? “Over There”?)
Aides say that Bush is in a state of denial and still believes although no one else does. But, dammit!, he is the “Decider” you know.
No word on where the troops are going to come from but rumors suggest another large call-up of the Guard. I don’t know where else you get four Brigades. So, as far as shrub is concerned if these reports are accurate, the Iraq Study Group can pound sand if they want to “Cut and Run”. That ought to show Daddy!
And here are some other little items that might be interesting.
Remember those monies to promote Democracy in Cuba? Well it seems the excile groups in Miami used it to buy GameBoys, HDTVS and other goodies.
And, on a larger scale, Mike Levitt the HHS Sec came out and opposed Pelosi’s (and the House Dems) call to repeal the ban on Medicare being able to negotiate drug prices. That could lead to Government takeover of medicine don’t you know! Can’t have that now can we?
Now back to the important stuff – like who is going control the keys to the House Washroom!
November 16th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
The way I read the Guardian article, the “news” out of the Iraq Study Group is that it will recommend the 20,000 more troops as the “first phase” of its new policy. So the commission really is a vehicle by which Bush pere, via James Baker, is coming to the aid of Bush fils. Will the Dem members endorse this aspect of the plan without “footnote”? Probably…the initial reports have been that it will be a unanimous report.
Will this work, or will it put 20.000 more camo-wearing carbon life-forms in harm’s way? Is there any real reason to think that this is all it will take? It no doubt is a trial of the Dems’ mettle and will in fact split the party to some extent. But it will also put the Repub House members who campaigned by questioning the direction of the administration’s warmaking efforts. They can’t just run back into the fold. 20,000 troops doesn’t justify a political conversion for anybody on any side of the Iraq question.
I think it behooves the Dems to stand fast to the “redeployment” plan and get the American and coalition troops out of the line (read: circle) of fire.
This really comes back to Marc’s post from last week….Can we justify delaying one week or one month, much less one year, doing what we are very likely to end up doing: withdrawing all our troops, or at least all that are not truly “advisors?”
November 16th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
And what about this boooooring war?
It’s time to find another third world to conquer and occupy so that I may sign manifestos concerning freedom.
This Iraq crap is so 2003.
If we start warmongering now we can start talking about liberty again.
November 16th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
Here’s another example of the Dems perfidy. Sen Chris Dodd (D-CT) will introduce “The Effective Terrorism Control Act” that will, among other things:
1. restore Habeas Corpus rights
2. ban hearsay testimony and evidence
aquired by torture.
3. Limit the President’s ability to define
“Enemy Combatants.”
4. Expeditie review of Military Tribunals
by the courts.
Just another Democratic Sellout!
November 16th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
Atrios has it right: “I can never keep up with whether the Democrats are intolerant of dissenting views or in disarray over disagreement.”
November 16th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
RLC: Funny thing. I did 3 postings on Murtha. Yet I count 19 postings from you in response, mostly accusing me of being too obsessed with Democrats!
In any case, you might in fact make me reconsider so much criticism of the Democrats. I do it in the hope of provoking debate and and sparking some real discussion. I see with you that is near impossible.
If what I say cuts too close you either a) accuse of me ignoring the rest of the news or B( slander me as some sort of braiwashed toady of Pajamas.
It’s all rather unbecoming.
By the way, my only link to Pajamas is that they pay me a fee to advertise on my site. Period. If you think that modest sum of money is enough to influence what I do, then your concern indeed would be better directed toward your lovely Democrats, every one of which almost without exception, is receiving literally millions in corporate contributions (that DO alter their behavior).
What do I think, you as, of Pajamas’ campaign to raise money for Bolton? I think it is idiotic. It’s also apparently a campaign of blogger Claudia Rossett of the WSJ — not a Pajamas network operation.
So go on disagreeing with me all you want. You’re invited to do so. But stop questioning my integrity. It’s really offensive.
November 16th, 2006 at 7:06 pm
I think the Democrats dodged a bullet. Murtha’s a decorated veteran, but on TV he comes across as a center-left Archie Bunker. Hoyer’s less likely to stick his boot in his mouth.
I predict a lot of whining about the war, and maybe hearings, but unless things get much worse, it won’t amount to much. The reason is simple–there are no good answers, and the non-Kucinich Democrats fear being blamed for a defeat if they go too far.
November 16th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
I’m not sure how anyone can argue with Marc’s point (perhaps nobody was actually arguing with his points), this is not a promising first step for a new Speaker of the House.
And this incident is important. If you don’t think that the effectiveness of the leader of the House has repercussions to policies like economic security or war in Iraq, you probably aren’t wearing your thinking cap.
November 16th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
kinda beside the point, but to reduce doug ireland’s journalism to “rants” about persecuted gays–particularly when iran has just hanged another man for the “crime” of homosexuality–is pretty cheap, rlc.
November 16th, 2006 at 8:15 pm
Well, Ric may have a job or kids and is only able to answer in short shots, in any case, I think he is closing in on a threat to
be kicked off; so I look forward to seeing if I am being treated
fairly. Get um, Ric.
Beyond that, even if I do say so myself (and who else would?)
I think my point about skeletons suddenly being dragged from the closet at questionable junctures has a lot of validity, Suddenly the guy whose praises were being sung round these parts, (what was it, last summer?) is the scum of the earth, because he gave an ambiguous pass to sting operation. Which, we are told, by the fine standards of the Whitewater investigation are hunky dorey. Our host is lucky nobody is making him answer for all those ads for hookers in the back of the Weekly.
And here’s a O.T. for ya: O.J. I guess this is as good a place as any to note what seems to be passing with minor notice at best; the sleazebuckets who are going to drop a fortune in the lap of the world’s most famous throat slitter are the good people who brought you all those cool and crazy get Clinton dumb downs, which finally drove our impressionable electorate into the arms of the man who has made the early years of our new century a very ripe slice of hell indeed.
We should not underestimate the national impact of the O.J. trial. The ticky tacky, play up to the rightards, reckless abandon race to the bottom carryed over into the saturation coverage of the Clinton “scandels”, and perhaps reached it’s peak in what Bob Sumersby rightfully calls the media’s “war on Gore” in 2000. Standards made some incrumental steps back since then, but the Geanie is still out of the bottle and jumping on the sofa like Tom Cruise.
And now Rupert Murdoch collects again at the other end, dropping a fat paycheck into O.J. lap. Talk about knowing all the angles.
November 16th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Wall: What is that you are smoking? Are you dumb enough to actually believe that it is somehow unfair for the media to drag out the “skeleton” of being an unidicted co-conspirator when a pol has the spotlight turned on him? You sound like a guy who would love to live in a place like Cuba where the media drags out absolutely nothing.
The hooker ads in the LAWeekly? Oh yeah, Im real upset and embarrassed by that. It’s such a rare occurrence that a journalistic outfit should have to run compromising ads. Tobacco and oil company advertising are so much purer funding sources for journalism.
You continue to be invaluable comedic relief for this blog.
And just for the record, my friend, I said very clearly in the previous post that when Murtha voiced his position on Iraq, I applauded him but paid little attention to his background. Once Speaker Pelosi thrust him stage center this week I only noticed the same red flags that every other reporter did. That’s the problem with free speech: corrupt pols get exposed and sometimes at inconvenient moments.
November 16th, 2006 at 11:24 pm
SHHHH!
I used my Jethro Bodine double-not spy decoder ring to cipher the mission statement of the Iraq Study Group:
“We will find a way to make the continued occupation of Iraq palatable to the American public and hence, keep control of the “Texas T”, in Mr. Drysdale’s hands”.
Please bear with me – I am, at this time, still unable to decode the term, ‘Texas T’ and unclear of the true identity of this ‘Mr. Drysdale’.
Rest assured, I have my best operatives hard at work unraveling the complex algorithms (and gozintas!) in order to get to the kernal of truth as to why we’re in Iraq and have no intentions of leaving until ‘mission accomplished’.
November 16th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
Omigod!
The Dept of Homeland Security has seized control of my website…I have agents pounding at my door…stilll unclear as to the identity of ‘Drysdale’…but his female companion, Jane Hathaway,……………………………………….. is…Nancy Pelos…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..please, not the waterboard……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
November 17th, 2006 at 12:00 am
I’m glad the Democrats won the midterms, because it provided the political repudiation to Bush we so badly needed, but sad to see that normally astute observers like reg and rlo (and of course dunces like Wall) feel the need to line up like little mice and cheer for everything the Dems do and say. So questioning Murtha as choice for majority leader becomes a major act of perfidy rather than a prescient caution about the Dems going down the wrong road so soon. No doubt we will have many debates like this as the cheering section repeatedly backs the wrong horse.
November 17th, 2006 at 3:54 am
O.K, so let’s say we play you’re rules. That means you would have shut up about the Harkin stock dump around last spring; or W wouldn’t have gotten any closer to the White House than Pat Paulson, right? Glad you got a smile because it was a joke, or at least a bit of kidding on the square (the Weekly part) . I think we can agree to disagree here; though make careful note of Balter: you must accept a truckload of contradiction (not to mention piety) from us; while not an ounce of ambiguity for thou.
Oh yeah, and WE get to call names.
November 17th, 2006 at 10:45 am
The obsession with Pelosi is almost as fascinating as Britney and what’s his name.
November 17th, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Mickey Mouse.
November 17th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Nancy did the right thing. She supported the person who stood up in support of bringing our troops home, so we can go toward peace.
I am sure she knew he would not win and it took courage to acknowledge someone in that manner who help elevate the american consciousness to change the direction of america. Bush still remains in his arrogrance and now this validates that Nancy will tell him to “bring it on”. She has no fear.
November 17th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
What a bunch of snivelling nincompoops. Marc Cooper lets a few lefty dems have it for their boorish behavior and you bunch-a fellows are so yellow dog democrat, all you can do is snipe, snarl and growl. Well, who the hell died and made you General of the Marines? But you know what, you ain’t got no bite, no bite at all.
November 17th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
Oh GM, why don’t you just stuff it…
May 9th, 2008 at 2:01 am
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