Nancy Pelosi: Is She Just Winging It?

Once again donning the mantle of influence as Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is rewriting the Constitution to bolster power, tamping down her party’s detractors, and shaking the heck out of her magic eight ball for answers.

Recently, Pelosi was asked by The New York Times if she considered herself Trump’s equal, and she replied: “The Constitution does.”

Yes, she did. Apparently, the Speaker of the House is not quite clear on the Constitution.

Pelosi also has been busy being “the bridge” for the newbies on the Hill, quieting the impeachment hysteria, and disposing of her old guard allies.

Finally, the old gal is predicting doom and gloom to befall the budding frenemy relationship between two superpowers.

Joy Reid of MSNBC interviewed the woman holding the third highest position of power in the United States, and after much gushing and congratulatory jibber jabber, she asked what Pelosi thought of Trump’s relationship with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Pelosi, the eloquent oracle, replied, “Vladimir Putin, really? Really? I think it’s dangerous.”

Really.

Outlook Not So Good

“Thugs all over the world,” as the Speaker labeled foreign leaders who have met with Trump since he stormed the beaches at the Swamp, are her main concern.  And, although she did not elaborate, it would not be a laborious process to list a few she considers goons: Putin at the top, followed closely by North Korean President Kim Jong Un.

While the North Korean threat appears contained and relations with South Korea flourish peacefully, Trump and Putin have met only twice: the first in Helsinki in July, where Trump claimed to believe that Putin did not interfere with the 2016 election, and a twinkling of geographical coincidence at the G20 summit in Argentina last December.

Trump abruptly canceled a formal G20 meeting with Putin after Russian border guards seized three Ukrainian ships and their crews off the Crimean Peninsula. As appearances go, Putin didn’t care and relished an extra two hours of sidebar diplomacy with other contemporaries.

Let’s face it: They aren’t hanging out, instant messaging, or having collusion-themed sleepovers.

My Reply Is No

Putin has repeatedly denied any collusion with Trump and has picked up the taunting phrase “witch hunt” for when the subject of Robert Mueller’s investigation arises.  Inasmuch as Mueller has found infinitesimal dirt on associates of Trump, he has not found a speck of evidence that the president himself is in cahoots with Putin to upend democracy in America.

And Putin isn’t shy about his irritation with the attention:

“I mentioned this in 2016, and I want to say it now again … Russia, as a state, has never interfered with the internal affairs of the United States, let alone an election. It’s quite clear to me that [the Mueller investigation] is [being] used in the internal political struggle — and it’s nothing to be proud of for American democracy, to use such dirty methods in the political rivalry.”

Signs Point to Yes

Whether Pelosi grasps the concept of diplomacy remains unclear as her Speaker duties are off to a rather predictable start.

The leaders of every nation are tasked with the job of ruffling or smoothing the feathers of their worldwide counterparts. Obama frequently attempted to humiliate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an American ally, while snuggling up with the rabid anti-Semite, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on more than 15 occasions.  Out of all global leaders, Erdogan was Obama’s main choice?

It was a poor choice of words for Pelosi, showcasing her shameless attempt to curry favor. 

Trump is obviously his own man – diplomatically and otherwise – which is the apparent problem. In a recent statement, Trump claimed that he was “tougher” than any predecessors on Russia and that, although “getting along with Putin is positive, not a negative,” he could also become Russia's “worst enemy.”

But in the meantime, he may have his hands full with Speaker Pelosi, who is undiplomatically smearing several world leaders as “thugs,” especially those who have met with Trump and made progress.

It was a poor choice of words for Pelosi, showcasing her shameless attempt to curry favor.  It’s as if she never left the podium, these past few years. But it's also a harbinger of things to come from the rambling, often incoherent, leader of the House Democrats.

What does the future hold for Speaker Pelosi? Reply hazy, try again.