In what was a very rough moment for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, she accidentally praised the former Secretary of State and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for her leadership on democracy “when [she was] president.” Then, making it far worse, she dramatically caught her error and struggled to recover in a scene awkward for her and Clinton.
That happened during a conversation between the two leftist women that was hosted by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). The topic on which they were speaking is the state of “democracy” around the world.
Kicking the conversation off, Clinton said, “Let’s start with this little matter of democracy, because I think you and I believe that it’s not just in our country, but that’s where we see it most clearly, there is a concerted effort to undermine some of the very foundations of democratic governance, of a democratic society. There’s research, some of it done by SIPA in this university, showing that half the world’s democracies are backsliding, and that includes, sadly, the United States. So, what do you, Nancy, view as the biggest threats and challenges facing our democracy and what are the opportunities to try to stop that backsliding and turn it around?”
Responding, Pelosi kicked things off with the awkward error, saying, “Well, I appreciate that question, but I also appreciate your leadership in this regard when president –.” But then Pelosi made it far worse, shifting in her seat while touching her hand to her chest, obviously uncomfortable, and declaring that she meant it was her “hope” back then that Clinton would be elected.
Continuing, Pelosi kept trying to recover, saying, “But when Secretary Clinton was in the Senate and first lady, but especially as secretary of State in more recent time – she has been and at that time implemented many things showing America’s support for democracy.“
She then ridiculously claimed that Hillary is the American who Russian President Vladimir Putin fears the most, saying, “It was her clarity and position to the present – Putin – present occupant leader of Russia, that made him turn around and ensure, in an illegal way, come out against her in her campaign and interference in our democracy by Vladimir Putin, because Hillary Clinton was the person he feared most in terms of his lack of democracy in Russia. That’s, I think, self-evident, so thank you for what you have done.”
Fox News Digital gives some background on the course Clinton is teaching at Columbia, reporting:
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In March, Clinton released a promotional video about the class she will be teaching at Columbia’s SIPA this fall about foreign policy, using her own political experience as course material.
The course, titled “Inside the Situation Room,” according to a press release, will be co-taught by Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo. It will analyze “a range of case studies and examine decision-making in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts, from the search for Osama bin Laden, to the ‘red line’ in Syria, to negotiating with Iran.”
Glenn Greenwald, a left-leaning but independent journalist who is no friend of the regime, mocked the course, saying, “The US official who has urged more wars than anyone over the last 3 decades with the possible exception of John Bolton – including Iraq, Libya, Syria, and now Ukraine – is teaching Columbia students a class called ‘Foreign-Policy Decision-Making.’ And boy they’re excited!”