Let Us Now Praise Nancy Pelosi

by: JimC

Thu Nov 04, 2010 at 05:49:39 AM EDT

Given the dynamics of these things, she is unlikely to return as Speaker when Democrats take the House back, even if that happens in just two years.

I would like to note that she served her country and the Democratic Party honorably. She showed toughness when she had to, and she was vital in passing the healthcare law, which remains the signature accomplishment of the last two years.

She defended a couple of people that I would not have defended, but she hasn't had a personal scandal or even a whiff of one. And frankly, such loyalty (within reason) is the side I'd like to see leaders err on, because too many people in politics are too quick to throw others under the proverbial bus.

There was that awkward moment when she said, "Oh, he [Obama] was for a lot of things on the campaign trail," but she was hardly the only one who had that type of thought. I'm not going to blame her for saying it out loud.

She "took impeachment off the table" when she took the gavel. This annoyed many people, but I believe it was the right thing to do. It avoided creating a revenge cycle of impeachment proceedings. And it did not exclude other actions taken, say, by the Justice Department. People can say it created a certain climate where that was more difficult, and they may have a point, but let's not kid ourselves, any such action was always going to be difficult. It should be difficult.

Finally, when the GOP tried to make her a lightning rod -- really starting on day one, but especially this year -- and some Democratic members distanced themselves to save themselves (see above), she never wavered. She never condemned anyone who did that. Privately, who knows, it had to hurt and maybe that showed. But in public, she held strong.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.