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Misspeaking as the Madame Speaker

The continued case of CIA v Speaker of the House has begun to put the Democrats on the defense as well.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was one of the biggest critics of the Bush Administration, dating back to the beginning of her tenure as the leader within the House of Representatives. The primary focus of her opposition was to the Bush policies during the War on Terror, particularly the military’s treatment of detainees. During the political campaigns of 2006 and 2008, it became a firestorm issue that created controversy against Republican leadership in Washington as the question around Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs) became a wave of ethical outrage that has led the effort against the wars overseas.

This opposition blended into the presidential campaign of 2008, providing enough momentum for Democrats to claim sweeping victories throughout America. However, with the ongoing revelation that Speaker Pelosi had knowledge of the use of EITs for years without voicing her current opposition to their use, Democrats risk compromising the trust that they earned from the American people through loss of confidence that the nation has in the GOP.

Senator John McCain experienced the impact of having an unpopular politician connected to him while trying to exude confidence for the country’s electorate. As a Republican running directly after the 8 years of the Bush White House, McCain was never able to break the ties between his leadership and the lulling drain that came from the general disapproval the nation had for President Bush.

President Obama risks going through a similar experience. His name has been tied to Pelosi’s throughout his first months in office, not in the best of ways. After convincing the nation in a media blitz that his recovery package was necessary to turn around the economy, he was forced to issue a collective “mea culpa” when the legislation contained 8500 earmarks, items that he campaigned against as a candidate. Explaining away pork projects that he vowed to remove as Washington minutia was a political gaff originated under the Pelosi watch.

Pelosi could further cost President Obama political capital with the nation, but it is doubtful. However, whereas the president’s personal ratings remain high, the confidence shown in the Democrats and Washington in general continues to erode away. Recent polls show that Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid is extremely vulnerable in his home state of Nevada, a surprise that could impact his upcoming election. The tea party movement earlier this year was less of a personal protest on President Obama than it was an indictment of the economic and social direction being set by congressional legislative measures, most of it led under Pelosi as Speaker of the House.

The passion to end EITs and close Guantanamo Bay loses steam if it is clearly shown that the Speaker of the House – the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee at the time – sided with her nemesis on this important issue while decisions were made in the tense times immediately after 9/11.  The credibility of the Democrats to continue leading without much opposition will take a different turn if these incidents of confidence decay do not desist.

-Lenny

Lenny McAllister is a syndicated political commentator and alumnus of the African-American Leadership Summit. Recently named Visiting Fellow for the Center of New Politics and Policy at the University of Denver, he can be found on Facebook and at www.lennymcallister.com where McAllister’s weekly video commentary can be found (courtesy of Fox Charlotte.) His book “Diary of a Mad Black PYC (Proud Young Conservative)” will be available online later this month.