Let Nancy Hang Out to Dry

Ever since the news broke that Nancy Pelosi knew more about the torture proceedings than she initially let on, both the right and the left have exploded into utter insanity. While the right has used this to show how torture is all the Democrats' problem (torture is good when Republicans do it and bad when Democrats do it), that is fairly predictable. They're babies and we expect that.

Democrats often aren't much better, but they're usually a little better. Not in this case. They're totally leapt to Pelosi's defense, seeking to vindicate her before all the facts are even on the table. I saw David Shuster on MSNBC yesterday categorically waving aside the idea that Pelosi bore any responsibility. And Media Matters implicitly comes to Pelosi's defense in this otherwise-well-deserved slam of Politifact's analysis. "Democratic strategists" are flooding the airwaves with DNC talking points that are composed of denial after denial of any Democratic responsibility. This isn't how they should be responding.

Let the chips fall as they may. Many have already fallen. Greenwald documented the fact that Pelosi and other leading Democrats not only clearly knew about the torture policies, but supported them. It would be a stretch to go full-National Review on things and call the entire torture framework a "bipartisan issue"--it's about as bipartisan as the stimulus vote--but there doesn't appear to be any denying that Democrats screwed the pooch here. The fact that Pelosi knew about this doesn't in any way transfer blame away from Bush and Cheney. There's no need for liberals to inanely and instinctively leap to defend someone whom they perceive as "one of their own." If Pelosi knew, then she deserves whatever type of punishment you get for knowing about shit like this. That's how it works.

And I can't say I understand defending Nancy Pelosi, of all people. She has proven herself to be ineffective and wrong on many key issues. Just because O'Reilly can paint her as a "radically leftist San Franciscan" doesn't mean it's really so. Watching her give speeches or do interviews is a form of torture unto itself. She's a babbling buffoon. If she's the best the Democrats have to offer in the way of candidates for Speaker of the House, well that's a shame. I'd be very glad to see her go.