Pelosi Calls Bush "A Total Failure"

House Speaker Makes Rare Personal Attack On The President

(AP)  President Bush has been a "total failure" in everything from the economy to the war to energy policy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.

In an interview on CNN, the California Democrat was asked to respond to video of the president criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for heading into the final 26 days of the legislative session without having passed a single government spending bill.

Pelosi shot back in unusually personal terms.

"You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject," Pelosi replied. She then tsk-tsked Bush for "challenging Congress when we are trying to sweep up after his mess over and over and over again."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino defended Bush.

"What the president said is a fact - this is the longest a Congress has gone in 20 years without passing a single spending bill, so it's clear that the speaker is feeling some frustration at their inability to do so."

Pelosi's outburst was a departure. Her usual practice in public has been to call Bush's policies a failure - not his presidency or him, personally. Pelosi's remarks are the latest evidence of the Democrats' throw-caution-to-the-wind approach to Bush in the waning days of a presidency weighed down by an unpopular war and soaring gasoline prices.

Election Day, after all, is just over four months away; Bush's successor takes his seat on Jan. 20.

Pelosi's counterpart in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, long ago took off the rhetorical gloves. Last month, he ridiculed Republicans who sided with Bush on a Medicare bill.

"Who would be afraid of him?" Reid, D-Nev., said as many senators looked on. "He's got a 29 percent approval rating."

The public's view of Congress is even worse. Its approval rating has hit a new low of just 18 percent, down from 23 percent last month, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll. Bush's approval is at 28 percent, about even with the 29 percent rating last month.

Only 16 percent of those surveyed thought the country was moving in the right direction, a new low as well, although statistically the same as last month's 17 percent.

Last week Reid and other Democrats dropped any pretense of trying to fight the president on battles they were likely to lose - even on the most important part of their jobs, which is passing spending bills that keep the government running.

Of the 12 annual appropriations bills, Congress is likely to pass one or two and send Bush a temporary spending fix for the rest. That would have to suffice until a new president takes office, Reid told reporters.

Privately, Democrats have said that either candidate for president - Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain - would be easier to make laws with than Bush. But Reid made clear which he'd prefer.

"I would hope that before we would leave here this year that we would do a continuing resolution that would get us (through) until after Senator Obama becomes president," he said.

[ann3332]

when i hear stuff like I hear from pelosi one thing come to my mind.Pride People who judges others think they can do better than the other is full of pride. I challenge people who judges if they can do better let them become president and see how easy it is

[alphaa10-2009]

Many posters misunderstand the press reference to "Democratic control" of congress.

The right to lead congress as a majority and the power to enact legislation at will are two different things, even if both are determined by the count of party members in congress.

No matter which party leads congress, that count controls what can or cannot happen with legislation.

With disposition of voting members along party lines, the Democrats do not have the votes to override Bush, although they retain the simple majority securing leadership of both houses.

Without more votes, Bush can defy whatever bills Democrats attempt to pass.

Overcoming a Bush veto is sometimes called a "supermajority" and requires more than a simple majority.

On other occasions, when Democrats may be near success, certain GOP rank and file stand in the well and threaten to filibuster. Or inject procedural blocks and delays in effective rear-guard style.

[alphaa10-2009]

Despite her attempted defense of Bush, White House Press Secretary Dana Peripheral could think of nothing of substance.

In contrast, Pelosi responded with the raw truth about Bush. For example, his spending proposals over the past eight years have doubled the national debt because Bush and a GOP-led congress refused to pay for them. That would require taxes.

Meanwhile, Bush made the federal shortfall even worse by his massive taxcuts for his friends in the upper five percent-- the sliver of Marie Antoinettes Bush named "The Havemores", and adopted them as his political base.

A $3 trillion Bush war in Iraq is a major cause, deny it as Bush and his neocon advisors may. And to think Bush is willing to countenance 4,000 dead Americans, tens of thousands wounded, burned and maimed for life, their families barely able to recover, and spending averaging $2.39 billion weekly-- all to cover his biggest crime of all. Iraq began and will end as a massive fraud to secure Iraq oil assets for Bush contributors in Big Oil.

Pelosi said exactly what Americans are themselves saying about Bush. The nominally-Democratic congress is in perfect gridlock-- so evenly divided between Dems and GOP, even the best leadership cannot command the allegiance of its partisan GOP members. Cynically enough, Bush knew the untruth of his own words.

[blackyowe]

I don''t think much of Pelosi but she is right on about Bush being a big looser.

[ioweign]

Bush has been a whopping SUCCESS... for a thief. He has stolen TRILLIONS from the US economy and given much to his family and friends and won`t be prosecuted, thanks in no small measure to Pelosi.

To steal and not get caught -- that''''''''s success.


Posted by Nancy_Naive at 09:21 PM : Jul 18, 2008
+ report abuse

You prove this and I''''ll give you the million dollars I don''''t have. If you can''''t prove this to be true I ''''ll appreciate a cashier''''s check for 10.00.

You are so full of balogna it''''s incredible

Posted by alanrobisch2 at 09:30 PM : Jul 18, 2008

How much has Eric Prince given to the GOP?

And what are his government contracts worth?

Oh Duke, want a room mate ???

[tbweb]

Posted by tbweb at 02:47 PM : Jul 19, 2008
+ report abuse


*************

when the republicans were in majority..the democrats cannot do anything..

when the democrats are in majority..they STILL CANNOT DO ANYTHING..

it seems like the repblican can pretty much do whatever they want majority or as a minority..is that what you are trying to say??????????????????

Posted by libsluv2spit at 03:37 PM : Jul 19, 2008,,,

The facts speak for themselves, do I really need to answer! Democrats answer and show up for subpoenas! LOL

[libsluv2spit]

Posted by tbweb at 02:47 PM : Jul 19, 2008
+ report abuse


*************

when the republicans were in majority..the democrats cannot do anything..

when the democrats are in majority..they STILL CANNOT DO ANYTHING..

it seems like the repblican can pretty much do whatever they want majority or as a minority..is that what you are trying to say??????????????????

[libsluv2spit]

Posted by tbweb at 02:47 PM : Jul 19, 2008
+ report abuse


*************

when the republicans were in majority..the democrats cannot do anything..

when the democrats are in majority..they STILL CANNOT DO ANYTHING..

it seems like the repblican can pretty much do whatever they want majority or as a minority..is that what you are trying to say??????????????????

[libsluv2spit]

Posted by tbweb at 02:47 PM : Jul 19, 2008
+ report abuse


*************

when the republicans were in majority..the democrats cannot do anything..

when the democrats are in majority..they STILL CANNOT DO ANYTHING..

it seems like the repblican can pretty much do whatever they want majority or as a minority..is that what you are trying to say??????????????????

[libsluv2spit]

Posted by tbweb at 02:47 PM : Jul 19, 2008
+ report abuse


*************

when the republicans were in majority..the democrats cannot do anything..

when the democrats are in majority..they STILL CANNOT DO ANYTHING..

it seems like the repblican can pretty much do whatever they want majority or as a minority..is that what you are trying to say??????????????????