After accusing the CIA of misleading the Congress at last week’s disastrous press conference, Nancy Pelosi has had trouble putting this embarrassing story behind her. As John Feehery wrote in a smart guest column in POLITICO yesterday, the conditions are almost ripe for a coup in Congress:
While it is awfully early to be predicting that House Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) will face a leadership challenge because of her handling of “torture-gate,” conditions are starting to gel for the good old-fashioned congressional coup. … Should Pelosi continue to mishandle this current crisis, and should she continue to make wild statements about the veracity of the CIA, don’t be surprised if somebody in the House says enough is enough. The conditions are ripe for a coup.
Feehery lays out 5 conditions, including her management techniques and intra-party politics, that could lead to her ousting. I would add to his list one condition: a White House that ultimately decides somebody else would be more effective (and willing) to push through the President’s agenda.
In fact, the White House’s relative silence on Pelosi’s troubles –- coupled with the Obama-appointed CIA Director’s tough response to Pelosi last week –- clearly has prolonged this story. Just consider: On Friday, Gibbs ducked questions on Pelosi by saying “I appreciate the invitation to get involved in here, but I’m not gonna RSVP.” When he was pressed yesterday, he said the President “does” have confidence in the Speaker. And today, the President went a tiny bit further, recognizing her at a White House event and giving her credit for “making Congress so productive over the last couple of days.”
Make no mistake: These are not resounding endorsements of her leadership.
I think the White House’s reluctance to spend some political capital to bailout Pelosi is odd, especially considering how vital she is to the success of Obama’s agenda. Instead, it feels like there are some inside the White House who don’t mind watching the Speaker flap in the wind as the scandal simmers.
