Cynical Nation

Check out this transcript of Nancy Pelosi's press conference yesterday. She was pissed off that the defection of 15 or so House Democrats helped get CAFTA passed, and accused Republicans of vote-buying.

Q Can you elaborate, Madame Leader, on some of the offers that were made to Democrats that you know about?

REP. PELOSI: No.

Q In which case -- it's a pretty serious charge, that you're saying some of them didn't pass legal muster to you.

REP. PELOSI: Yeah.

Q You're saying that -- that Republicans were trying to bribe Democrats?

REP. PELOSI: I didn't use the word bribe.

Q Well, you said it wasn't legal.

REP. PELOSI: I said that offers were made that were, in my view, questionable. And I know that they would be at a cost to the taxpayers. And I say that without any hesitation.

Q But that's a very serious charge.

REP. PELOSI: It is.

Q Could you just -- could you just give us the specifics of what you've heard?

REP. PELOSI: No, I'm not going to. I'm telling you, and -- why don't you go ask the Republicans or the White House what they were offering people? They would know best; they're the ones who were making the offers. I think that this has to stop. We have to stop the Republican rip-off of the legislative process on Capitol Hill. It has to stop now...

Q Madame Leader, I'm sorry to belabor this point, but it is -- let me see how to phrase this -- is there a difference between horse trading and federal violation regarding offering something of value for somebody's vote?

REP. PELOSI: Yes.

Q There's got to be a difference, right?

REP. PELOSI: Yeah. There is.

Q So now you're beyond just the normal give and take of --

REP. PELOSI: Yes.

Q I don't see how you can just lay that out there without giving us the specifics --

REP. PELOSI: Well, I just did. But I just did.

Q Is that fair, though? Is that the way you would like to be treated?

REP. PELOSI: That's the way we are treated. That's the way we are treated.

Q Are you going to pursue any sort of ethics complaint --

REP. PELOSI: I may. I may. I may. Not me, but those who have the information may. But these are the kinds of things that are very hard to prove if the deal is not consummated. That doesn't mean the deal wasn't offered. And it really -- because they have a poverty of arguments in favor of CAFTA, they have to resort to these extraordinary means.

I think the accumulated stress of two terms of the Bush presidency is taking its toll on the Democrats. Quite a few of them seem to be going bat-shit insane. I suppose in the short term that's good news for Republicans, who need all the help they can get in the face of their own declining poll numbers. In the long run, however, I think this country benefits from a viable, healthy two-party system. Unfortunately for us, we now have one party that has fallen prey to the arrogance of power and the inevitable corruption of the entrenched majority, and another that is ready for a padded cell. Fabulous.