Rachel Maddow was a tenacious interviewer with Nancy Pelosi

[Mira]

A body language analyst would have a heyday with Nancy's demeanor during the interview.
As a person who does not have that training, I can only go by what was obvious to me.

She came alive as a real integrated person only at the end, when she talked about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and a bit about Iran. She told it like she sees it, her emotion and belief were in sync, there was no conflict, no hiding, no twitching.
Because of the stark difference on those questions, the demeanor the rest of the time, the fluttering eyes and the uncomfortable jerky body were a give-a-way that she was greatly discomfited personally with being so thoroughly and capably questioned.

It looked to me like she had awareness that her words did not add up and connect with her emotion, or with the other side of her mouth, or with what she has said/done before. She played a role. What that role was, I believe, changed with the wind, the question, her assessment of what might be expected of her, and her own potential culpability in the last few years.

I would so love to have a speaker of the house who does not need to hedge and who can afford to trust me with the truth.

[navarth]

1. I thought Rachel let her off the hook on one possible question

When Rachel brought up the issue of the Dems being 'briefed' re: torture, other methods; Nancy said 'we were never told they were using them'. At that point the question that occurred to me was: "You didn't ASK them?" Rachel thought of it too, she sort of hinted at that very question later. I don't recall her exact words.

Maybe she was trying to show mercy, I dunno.

[elleng]

2. That WOULD be nice,

but I suspect there's so much going on, at any moment, that NO Speaker can say what s/he really thinks w/o fear of consequences.

[pacalo]

3. Mira, I had similar thoughts as I watched it. She looked uncomfortable

as though she weren't in a friendly territory.

[bertman]

4. Rec. I agree, Mira. But I also think Navarth raised a good point about Rachel missing the

opportunity to "go Couric" on her when she accepted the lame answer Pelosi gave with only a slight challenge. Maybe it was because this is Rachel's biggest interview to date (am I right about this?). Anyway, I think Rachel is brilliant and doing a hell of a job getting the word out.

Pelosi is THE MOST ARTIFICIAL person I have seen on TV since Tammy Faye Baker. The woman looks like she is BRITTLE.

I would like for Rachel to have asked Speaker Pelosi these questions: As the leader of the representative body of the greatest democracy on the planet did you not feel an obligation to bring to the attention of the people of this nation that the President and Vice President of the United States were using the state secrets act to run the equivalent of a secret government that was violating the constitution of the United States?

And did you not feel that exposing the gravity of that violation of trust between the Executive Branch and the people of this nation was worth any personal or political risk that might accrue to you? And, if not, why not?

To me, this interview exposed Nancy Pelosi as an unworthy and cowardly individual who did not uphold her sworn duty as a Representative in the Congress of the United States of America.

[Mira]

7. Very good points and I appreciate your thoughtful response. I believe it was possibly

the most gravid if not the first one hour major interview Rachel has had. I tend to forget that Rachel Maddow is 35 or at most 36 years old. It takes a bunch of chutzpah for her to step in and tread where others would tremble in doing so. I believe that Rachel also is nervous, though for other reasons, and did not follow through as competently on the spot as she will with when she does her SECOND huge interview.

Imagine what she will be like when she is Barbara Walters' age!

[margotb822]

5. Pelosi had the "beauty pagent smile" pasted on

It was weird. Most people don't smile in anticipation of a tough question. Especially an obviously fake smile. I definitely agree that Pelosi was playing politics with the answers for most of the interview.

[specimenfred1984]

6. (D) Speaker of the House, (D) majority Senate, (D) President not enough for you?

It'd be nice to have a (D) majority S. Court, other than that, WTF is your complaint about a person saying "No immunity for the previous administrations criminals"?

[Mira]

9. I liked the words. I did not trust them coming from her under a mask of fidgeting

obviously fake smiles, and a history that included from the get-go that impeachment is off the table.
I remember hoping and praying that once she had the power she would tell the world she was only foolin' when she said that.
I guess when she stuck with it through the obvious disastrous never ending lies and crimes she lost having me believe her words over her actions.
that's (WTF) is my complaint.

[OwnedByFerrets]

8. It was pretty hard hitting.