In a press conference today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to a statement from Republicans that Gen. Stanley McChrystal should “put her in her place,” saying “that language is something I haven’t even heard in decades.”
“I’m in my place. I’m the Speaker of the House, the first woman Speaker of the House. And I’m in my place because the House of Representatives voted me there,” Pelosi said.
“They really don’t understand how inappropriate that is,” she said.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has been attacked for the comments by Democrats and women’s rights groups, but it’s not backing down. In a (somewhat garbled) response to Pelosi, the group accused her of making politics a higher priority than “defeating terrorists.”
“Rather than deflecting from the real issue at hand and refocus on defeating terrorists, Nancy Pelosi would rather make party politics a higher priority than our national security,” the statement said. “The fact of the matter is that most Americans agree with General McChrystal’s strategy on Afghanistan, but Pelosi self-righteously believes she is better suited to craft our country’s military policy.”
After the original statement drew criticism, the NRCC didn’t back down. “She’s playing out of her league and she knows it,” said a spokesman.
They also lashed out at Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), who said the comments amounted to sexism.
“Attacking white males hardly contributes to the debate,” the NRCC said in a statement.
Here is Pelosi’s response today:
