Is your reason those half of his points? Which?
I'll mention two points in particular.
She lost credibility with me over the waterboarding business. It isn't that she was passive about it in a hearing and later opposed it. I can understand some of the passivity given that it was in wake of 9/11, and her feeling stronger about it later. What bothers me is that there is a lot of information floating around that suggests she knew more than she has admited that she knew, and hence that she has lied about what she knew.
Second, I think her statement about this process being more open and transparent than any other is, at best, puffery. I have been a political junkie for 10 years and have followed most major pieces of legislation as they move through the process. With this process, basically everything that was transparent has always been transparent, and everything that was not transparent has always not been transparent. Except what has happened in conference, where the general rule is that a formal hearing is held that is televised, while the main negotiations happen behind closed doors. Here, there wasn't even a formal hearing, which by the way, was the decision of Pelosi and Reid. So in that one aspect it was less transparent than usual, and in all others it was basically the same. Her statement was a false boast as there is no evidence to support it.
I will say Obama has improved transparency over Bush in some incremental ways, but that isn't saying much as the Bush WH was particularly secretive in its way of doing things. But that is Obama.
Anyway, the bottom line with Pelosi is I don't especially trust her. She is too much the consumate politician, with that painted on, strained smile. Not a plain talker, but a party line talking head, and you always feel with her that everything is hidden under the surface.
She is good at rounding up votes though (better than Reid perhaps). You're right about that.
- wolf