Pelosi on Meet the Press

I don't watch MTP for the obvious reasons, including my desire to deprive Russert of one more viewer. But Nancy Pelosi handled him pretty well.

"MR. RUSSERT: ...the Democrats have ethical challenges, too, correct?

REP. PELOSI: No, no. This—you’re talking two completely different things.

You’re talking about some Democrats who have an ethical challenge. Mr.
Jefferson—I’ve asked for the Ethics Committee to investigate Mr. Jefferson. You have never seen a Republican ask for an ethics investigation of the Republicans. You’re talking about some individual challenges that those people will have to deal with.

On the Republican side, you have what The Washington Post called a “criminal enterprise” operating out of the Republican leader’s office. You have corruption, cronyism and incompetence which has cost—has a cost to the American people. Whether again, price at the pump, of, of price at the pharmacy, or of Katrina. This is—has an impact on the American people. It’s a part of a system. It is quite different from personal indiscretions which have—and violations of the law, if so, in Mr. Jefferson’s case. But that is something quite different than a system that is condoned, enabled and—by the Republican caucus in its entirety and they—because they benefit from it.-from MSNBC.

For another view on Pelosi's performance, Stephen Kaus says

As Jeffrey Skilling testified at his trial a couple of weeks ago, he somehow came to be asked about the jury consultant his team was using. Skilling acknowledged using the consultant, saying that "She is helpful in trying to help me describe to people what I am trying to say."

Does Nancy Pelosi have anyone like this?

She must, but either that person has a completely tin ear or Ms. Pelosi is incapable of taking direction. Time and time again, she launched wooly, nonresponsive answers to Tim Russert's questions on Meet the Press. And the questions were not that hard, as Howard Dean proved over at ABC on essentially the same topic of what would the Democrats do if they won.- MSNBC.