Word: speaker
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...initial thumb's-down. But they gained some traction in recent weeks, thanks to fresh controversies over the CIA's detention and interrogation policies under Bush. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has repeated claims that the harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects helped save thousands of American lives. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has had to deny that she was informed about the CIA's use of waterboarding and has accused the agency of misleading Congress. (See pictures of the aftershocks of the Abu Ghraib scandal...
...House Armed Services Committee. Meanwhile, Leahy's staffers say the Senator is trying to build bipartisan support for a commission. But he's had little support from Republicans, and the congressional recess will likely slow his efforts. The break may have the same effect on Republican calls - from former Speaker Newt Gingrich to Representative Pete Hoekstra - for investigations into Pelosi's claims...
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi emerged from her offices with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a photo op on Tuesday - her first open media event since last Thursday's disastrous press conference on what the CIA may or may not have briefed her about regarding its interrogation techniques - she was met by a wall of dozens of cameras. There's always been a lot of media interest in the first female Speaker, but Pelosi is learning the hard way that there's a difference between receiving attention for being a pioneer and receiving attention for fouling...
...Republicans with a rare crack in Pelosi's usually impervious armor. Some, including minority leader John Boehner, are demanding an investigation, while others, pointing to her 39% approval rating - about the level Newt Gingrich enjoyed when he was blowing up President Clinton's agenda during his first year as Speaker - suggest that in front of an open mike, she has become a liability to her party...
...Pelosi has taken pains to centralize the power of the Speaker's office. Members can't take trips abroad, get on a committee or even sign out a room for a meeting without her permission. But that kind of omnipotent power works only when members are confident it will be exercised under control. Despite her missteps, Pelosi has been able to run the most unified caucus in half a century. But if she wants to keep it unified - and keep running it - she might need to stick to her own playbook...