Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a surprise for the several dozen reporters gathered in her ceremonial office this Friday morning for her weekly press conference: some guests. Pelosi brought with her her top leadership team, Steny Hoyer, Xavier Becerra and Chris Van Hollen minus whip Jim Clyburn. “Good morning,” Hoyer blustered with an impish grin. The group then settled down into a 22-minute lecture of the accomplishments they have achieved so far and the daunting challenges that remain: health care, credit cards, stimulus, Lilly Ledbetter, SCHIP, land management, the housing bill, climate change. Nine minutes for the majority leader, five for Van Hollen and five for Becerra, who, to underline the dire economic situation, even brought with him his American Express bill – lamenting that even though he zeroes out his balance every month AmEx just lowered his credit limit. Without anyone directly saying it, the clear message was: all this he said she said stuff on who was briefed when on torture is nothing compared to the problems the country is facing.
In the four minutes of Q&A at the end Pelosi was asked directly by a reporter: “Since last week, your comments about what you knew when and about the CIA misleading you have been big big news, Madame Speaker, and Leader Boehner has said to produce evidence that you were lied to or apologize, CIA Director Panetta has said that the CIA is not in the business of misleading Congress, what’s you’re reaction?”
Her response was quick and terse and meant to indicate she intends to close the book on the subject. “I have made the statement that I’m going to make on this. I don’t have anything more to say about it. I stand by my comments and what we are doing is staying on our course and not be distracted from it, from moving forward in a bipartisan way on jobs, health care, energy for our country,” Pelosi responded.
The press conference was the opposite of last week’s performance and seemed to have worked. By the end of it more reporters were grumbling that Pelosi hadn’t adequately addressed a question about human rights in China ahead of her trip there next week than dwelling on torture.