Paraphrased transcript of PELOSI smackdown of CNN's Phillips

[tgnyc]

I Tivo'ed the bitch, so trust me, this is accurate.

Thursday afternoon, CNN's Kyra Phillips interviewed Nancy Pelosi about the Katrina fiasco. Until C&L gets the video up, here is a paraphrased account of that interview. To appreciate the moment, you have to imagine that after Pelosi's first answer, Phillips became increasingly agitated and hostile, while Pelosi remained as cool as the other side of the pillow.

It went down like this:

KYRA: As you stand here and continue to criticize the White House and the Director of FEMA, Scott Mclelland disputed today your account of (yesterday's conversation regarding FEMA head Brown).

PELOSI: Mclelland wasn't there, so he doesn't know. (Repeats yesterday's convo). If he keeps Brown there, it will continue to cost lives.

KYRA: We can talk about what went wrong with FEMA, but if we go back and look at the old Times Picayune reports, you and your colleagues didn't vote for the money to help New Orleans, and a lot of other people screwed up, so I think it's unfair to blame Brownie.

PELOSI: I'm sorry you think it is unfair. I don't. I think it's unfair that people lost their lives, homes, families and jobs.

KYRA (interrupting): What about the reports from the Army Corps of Engineers saying the levees wouldn't hold?

PELOSI: If you want to make a case for the White House, you should go on their payroll.

KYRA (interrupting): I'm not making a case for the White House!

PELOSI: Look, the WH cut huge money this year for the Army Corps of Engineers and the flood money. The point now is how do we help the people.

KYRA (interrupting): So replacing Brownie will help?

PELOSI: Yes. Brownie has no qualifications for the job.

KYRA (interrupting): Who should take his place?

PELOSI: Someone like James Lee Witt, a professional in the Clinton Administration, who was trained for this job.

KYRA (interrupting): But Witt also said N.O. was just a disaster waiting to happen.

PELOSI: It could be anyone who has the training, someone in the military, someone with leadership skills. Anyway, this is about the WH. They want to cover-up what happened. Bush is in denial or incompetent. I'm glad he announced some steps today. There is still more to be done. We have to make sure the feds are on their game.

KYRA (interrupting): So politics had nothing to do with this disaster?

PELOSI: Let's have an independent ccommission look into that.

KYRA (interrupting, nearly crying): There were advance reports of the problems, and now everybody wants more investigations and commissions! How much more investigating and commissions do we need?

PELOSI: As many as it takes to make the country safer. We have to settle down, take a breath, and say, "how do we make America safer?" For that, we need an assessment of how this happened. 2 disasters last week: one natural and one man-made. Let's do a commission like the 9/11 commission. In fact, let's hire the same people.

KYRA: Nobody at CNN is on the payroll of the Bush administration. I think it's pathetic to see this happen in the U.S.

PELOSI: It's a look in the mirror for our country. What are our priorities: the health and well-being of our people, or tax cuts for the rich?

KYRA: You bring up a good point, the poverty. We have to pay more attention to that.

[reprehensor]

1. Nice! Thankyouverymuch.

Bam!

[skylarmae]

2. ditto - n/t

[merbex]

3. It was fascinating to watch. Nancy seemed to grow a spine right in

front of our eyes and the whoring that Kyra did was as clear as glass

Memo to dems who get to go on TV: Act like Nancy did. Don't play nice. Americans died and are lying dead on an American street and those who have the means to do something about have their thumbs up their asses

[Beetwasher]

4. "Bush is in denial or incompetent"

LOL! Go Nancy!

[Postman]

5. Are you kidding me? Talk about a partisan hack....

and this CNN employee has the audacity to claim she's a "journalist"?

On most occasions I think Pelosi is too soft in her responses. Never shows enough anger or outrage.

After reading the transcript I applaud her ability so subtly accuse the CNN propagandist of being on the WH payroll.

Notice how she has to readdress that issue later on in the "interview".

You're busted.

[Wordie]

14. Not a time for subtlety!

>>I applaud her ability so subtly accuse the CNN propagandist of being on the WH payroll.


LOL...she was hardly subtle! And good for her, it wasn't a time for subtlety.

[valerief]

6. Thanks a lot!

[Raster]

7. kyra, honey, it must be hard to realize your heroes and paymasters

are cold-blooded killers and that everything you believe in is a lie. Get used to it. Here's another revelation for you: you're part of the problem. A major part. That's right, princess, your whoring for bushco has helped jeopardize all of us in many ways. By obfuscation and distraction you allow the evil bastards to do harm without having to suffer the consequences. You are a collaborator. Look it up.

[never_get_over_it]

11. Oh you need to put this in an email to Kyra - eom

[mattclearing]

8. Wow....Pelosi really dressed her down.

She was agreeing with her by the end of it. Pathetic.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. Thank you very much! It sounds like Nancy humbled Kyra at the end. :)

[Kurovski]

10. Kyra is in the "Plenty of blame to go around" camp.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary.

While she railed a bit at the end that it as horrible what happened in NO, etc, her allegiance was clear.

What's she doing saying what's unfair? Kyra, 'yer a reporter, not a guest, no one fucking asked you to interview yourself, so knock that shit off.

And quit interrupting a guest unless it's really important. It makes you look like a fucking hack.

[glitch]

12. "commission like the 9/11 commission. In fact, let's hire the same people"

Statements like this are why Pelosi doesn't get more support.

Unless she was being heavily sarcastic, which I doubt.

[Vinca]

13. I'm so glad Pelosi made the White House payroll statement.

Kyra's a shill if I ever saw one.

[Skittles]

15. OK I HAVE TO ASK

You ARE kidding with the "Brownie" stuff right?????

[high density]

16. Why did Kyra choose Pelosi to make some of these comments to?

Kyra needs to realize that the GOP is in control of the government at the moment. She seems genuinely outraged but I felt like she's questioning the wrong "leaders" about the issue.

[Hidden Stillness]

17. NOW, She is My Leader

Wow, that was so cool; I had not heard the interview. Thank you for that. I have been extremely impressed with Pelosi these last few days. It was as if the hurricane disaster was so horrible, so tragic, that she threw aside all her usual nervousness and "overly-consulted" caution, and realized this is now something that has to be fought, on behalf of the victims. God, I hope this is permanent! Very impressive.