Once upon a time...

...it was considered bad form for Congressional leaders to make specific personal criticisms of a sitting President. If for no other reason than respect for the office (regardless of how one might feel about its occupant), it simply wasn't done. Please note that this is a distinct issue from criticizing a sitting President's policies or positions. Indeed, as Theodore Roosevelt noted, "To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

It is another thing entirely -- not treasonous, but absolutely inexcusable regardless of the reasons -- to make personal criticisms of the nature that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made regarding President Bush this past Thursday. In an interview with CNN, Pelosi said, "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." The context for this comment was the President's observation (accurate, as best I can tell) that Congress had failed to perform its most fundamental task, passing government spending bills.

Setting aside the condescending nature of such a comment, which I find almost as objectionable as the content, it's simply not the type of thing that a Member of Congress should say, regardless of rank, party affiliation, or personal opinions. It adds nothing of value to the public discourse and makes no contribution to the solving of our common problems. Instead, it is a petulant response that seeks to diminish President Bush rather than offer a rebuttal to his observation. Call me crazy, but my response to criticism is to offer evidence that the criticizer is mistaken, if such evidence is available; failing that, I have to face the possibility that he or she might be correct. But unless I'm ten years old, "Oh yeah, well you're worse!" just isn't an option.

I'll save for other blog entries my questions and concerns with the elements of Pelosi's criticism -- the economy, the war, energy, etc. -- because I believe that these are issues that deserve fuller attention in their own right. There are tough questions that must be asked regarding how the President and Congress will work together on behalf of We the People to solve them.

In the end, Pelosi's criticism is disingenuous at best, because the reality is that the President has much less opportunity than Congress to impact these issues. (That's separation of powers at work, for those of you scoring at home.) At worst, her remarks are a remarkably amateurish hatchet job that represents the worst of the hyperpartisanship that runs rampant in today's world.