News & Politics - House Speaker Pelosi calls Bush 'a total failure'

_Jmarit_ · 07-17-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

WASHINGTON - President Bush has been a "total failure" in everything from the economy to the war to energy policy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. In an interview on CNN, the California Democrat was asked to respond to video of the president criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for heading into the final 26 days of the legislative session without having passed a single government spending bill.

Pelosi shot back in unusually personal terms.

"You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject," Pelosi replied. She then tsk-tsked Bush for "challenging Congress when we are trying to sweep up after his mess over and over and over again."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino defended Bush.

"What the president said is a fact — this is the longest a Congress has gone in 20 years without passing a single spending bill, so it's clear that the speaker is feeling some frustration at their inability to do so."

Pelosi's outburst was a departure. Her usual practice in public has been to call Bush's policies a failure — not his presidency or him, personally. Pelosi's remarks are the latest evidence of the Democrats' throw-caution-to-the-wind approach to Bush in the waning days of a presidency weighed down by an unpopular war and soaring gasoline prices.

Election Day, after all, is just over four months away; Bush's successor takes his seat on Jan. 20.

Pelosi's counterpart in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, long ago took off the rhetorical gloves. Last month, he ridiculed Republicans who sided with Bush on a Medicare bill.

"Who would be afraid of him?" Reid, D-Nev., said as many senators looked on. "He's got a 29 percent approval rating."

The public's view of Congress is even worse. Its approval rating has hit a new low of just 18 percent, down from 23 percent last month, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll. Bush's approval is at 28 percent, about even with the 29 percent rating last month.

Only 16 percent of those surveyed thought the country was moving in the right direction, a new low as well, although statistically the same as last month's 17 percent.

Last week Reid and other Democrats dropped any pretense of trying to fight the president on battles they were likely to lose — even on the most important part of their jobs, which is passing spending bills that keep the government running.

Of the 12 annual appropriations bills, Congress is likely to pass one or two and send Bush a temporary spending fix for the rest. That would have to suffice until a new president takes office, Reid told reporters.

Privately, Democrats have said that either candidate for president — Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain — would be easier to make laws with than Bush. But Reid made clear which he'd prefer.

"I would hope that before we would leave here this year that we would do a continuing resolution that would get us (through) until after Senator Obama becomes president," he said.

House Speaker Pelosi calls Bush 'a total failure' - Yahoo! News

Had to post this. Cause i have such mix feelings towards it. Yeah, they're speaking the truth and i agree with them 100% in what they're saying... and at first i was like "Finally someone is speaking out about this and just saying flat out that he's a failure." Then i looked at it from another point of view. He may have this entire country all mixed up at the moment but is this what we're reduced to now? Having no respect for our President to the point that people who actually have a voice that's listened to call him a total failure, and speak with sarcasm about him to the public? To the country, the world?

Coming from a total anti-Bush person, a part of me is actually feeling sorry for him at the moment.

And this is the first thread i've posted. I hope it was okay

ceilirose · 07-18-2008, 08:01 AM

I have mixed feelings on this one. Great that Pelosi finally said it but it's a case of too little too late. The Democrats have pretty much caved to Bush the last two years.

There was a political cartoon a few days ago which compared Congress in 1973 going after Nixon to this one in regards to Bush. Basically if this Congress was in session during 1973 they would have shrugged Nixon and his dirty tricks off.

The office of the President can be respected but the individual holding it - not so much. Bush has pretty much done what he's wanted to do the last eight years and he can deal with the fallout. I can't work up a lot of sympathy for him.

**Motoko Ayoama** · 07-18-2008, 02:07 PM

awesome.

**vc318** · 07-18-2008, 02:13 PM

Quote:

The office of the President can be respected but the individual holding it - not so much. Bush has pretty much done what he's wanted to do the last eight years and he can deal with the fallout. I can't work up a lot of sympathy for him.

I totally agree. Respect is earned and he hasn't obviously in the past 8 years. I think the 1 percent of the people that he serves too probably admire him but I can say that I think things were better when his dad was in office, for goodness sakes. And I'm glad that Congress hasn't approved anything of his bills. Most of them are probably unhelpful anyway.

Now I hear that another stimulus package is under way. Maybe we're getting a refund from all the high costs of this senseless war.

sm_love_dc · 07-19-2008, 08:53 PM

I am on the fence about these comments. There have been big misses in the Bush Presidency. I think that in the next 5 years these comments will be the norm when disscussing his tenure. But right now he is still looking after the US, right or wrong. He still has to show himself to the world, and those comments will be picked up by the world reporters. And I wonder what the reaction will be in certian areas of the world. America's, not just Bush's, influence on world events may be affected. Will the US be seen as a power house or will some see this as a time when the US is weak and be ignored.

**vc318** · 07-19-2008, 09:31 PM

I think nearly 80 percent of the country has serious doubts about Bush and agree that he has lead this country poorly. As a middle-class individual, I've done my fair share of working and paying my bills. Bush has managed to take these things away by starting things that should have never happened. A president shouldn't cause the economy to crumble in the way that he has managed to do. It's just very hard to really speak positively about this person when he has stepped into practically every working class household and snatch their jobs away and tack on a dramatic increase in gas. Over time, people are always going to have an issue with the president but sometimes we let it go. Not this time, however. He has truly destroyed the faith of this country and made life really impossible, in my opinion. It's really sad.

sm_love_dc · 07-20-2008, 08:10 PM

Yah but do you want the world to know that the US made a mistake in ellecting him. We up North knew that 8 years ago. I am sorry that he has turned your country into a mess. Things have to go up.

COOLCAT200 · 07-20-2008, 09:05 PM

Ronald Reagan once said ''I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead''. I like to believe that's true with the upcoming election.

sm_love_dc · 07-20-2008, 09:10 PM

I hope that this election will have an out come that changes the US for the good.

ceilirose · 07-21-2008, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sm_love_dc (View Post)

Yah but do you want the world to know that the US made a mistake in ellecting him. We up North knew that 8 years ago. I am sorry that he has turned your country into a mess. Things have to go up.

I think most of the world already knows that. As far as the US is concerned Bush won by slim margins. He never won by a blow out either year - he's never had the popularity even in this country. His best time was right after 9/11 when the country rallied around him but in hindsight I think we were just getting behind our country.

**vc318** · 07-21-2008, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceilirose (View Post)

I think most of the world already knows that. As far as the US is concerned Bush won by slim margins. He never won by a blow out either year - he's never had the popularity even in this country. His best time was right after 9/11 when the country rallied around him but in hindsight I think we were just getting behind our country.

He used the tragedy of 9/11 as a reason to start a war - his craziness of a plan to make money or whatever for the country. He only "won" because his brother Jeb made sure he got the votes he needed from Florida - on of the states he needed for a sure victory.

But I really hope that whoever takes office, will bring some serious healthy change to the country.

sm_love_dc · 07-21-2008, 04:02 PM

Man I would have been so embaressed to be from Florida when that happened.

**sunnykerr** · 07-21-2008, 07:45 PM

It doesn't take a genius to observe that Bush has been a total failure as a president.

And that's not an assault on his Office. It's an examination of the man.

But Pelosi's comments beg the question: What about her? Sounds a lot like deflecting to me. Either that or pre-electoral promises and pandering.

**vc318** · 07-22-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnykerr (View Post)

But Pelosi's comments beg the question: What about her? Sounds a lot like deflecting to me. Either that or pre-electoral promises and pandering.

Well, one minute she's insulting the man and then she's praising him. Maybe she's trying to protect herself, who knows? But the president must hear about this every day. I wouldn't be surprised if the very people in his administration don't think that highly of him either.

sm_love_dc · 07-22-2008, 09:31 PM

I agree with deflecting the question. But also instead of the democratic nominee saying something negative, and perhaps creating so reall bad press, roll out the Speaker.