Tom Coburn Knocks Fox News, Says Nancy Pelosi is a "Nice Person"

CBS News ^ | 4/6/2010 | Brian Montopoli

[OldGuard1]

Sen. Tom Coburn, a staunch conservative from Oklahoma, is doing what seems almost unthinkable in this polarized political climate: Defending his Democratic colleagues from critics at Fox News.

At a town hall meeting, Coburn suggested that a woman who said "they can put us in prison" for not obtaining health insurance under the health care reform bill is misinformed.

"The intention is not to put anybody in jail," he said. "That makes for good TV news on Fox but that isn't the intention."

He also defended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the architect of the House version of the health care legislation that he fiercely opposed.

"I'm 180 degrees in opposition to the speaker -- she's a nice lady," he said. The crowd could be heard responding unfavorably to his characterization.

"Come on now, she is a nice -- how many of you all have met her?" continued Coburn. "She's a nice person. She's a nice person."

[EternalVigilance]

Pelosi responds:

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

A cottonmouth is nice until you disagree with it.

Seriously, this article is much ado about nothing. Coburn even says he is 180 degrees the opposite of her. She might well be a nice person on a face-to-face level, and still be an absolute git in her media statements about Tea Partiers, etc. Kinda like how a lot of the FReepers on here who come off like complete, unadulterated jerks may well be nice people if you met them face to face. People can be different when they have that artificial barrier of a camera or a keyboard.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Charge off, PING!!

[dalereed]

Time to vote him out, he’s either senile or crazy enough he should be locked up!

[DManA]

The intention is that you will behave like a good little coolie and do what your are told. If not, then it's your own fault that we have to throw you in jail.

[OldGuard1]

Read the whole article -- it's one thing after another:

He then discussed his own experience of being vilified before asking the crowd not to "catch yourself being biased by Fox News that somebody's no good."

...

The senator urged his audience to "stay informed on the issues" and not "just watch Fox News or CNN -- watch 'em both." He said he reads the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal every day to "get a perspective"

[Cricket24]

70 year Nancy has been sashaying up to Mr. Coburn. Nothing like face lifted pretty woman to make a guy lose his mind! Idiot!

[Kimberly GG]

I don’t need to meet her! What I’ve heard her say on tv is enough to know she is NOT a nice person.

[FrankR]

Well, if they try to put us in jail, they'll have to put ALL of us in jail.

If they succeed in making Americans "buy" whatever they "deem" we need, next we'll all have to buy a Chevrolet, storm windows, and contribute 1/3rd of our pay to unions we don't even belong to.

In a word, it's Communism, plain and simple...you obey, or you go to jail.

[Texan Tory]

Tom Coburn is being polite and diplomatic, and showing a lot of class. He probably really does think Nancy Pelosi is nice, so I have no problem with his approach in trying to be friendly to the opposition so long as he sticks to his principles.

[DManA]

Potomac fever is NOT just a metaphor.

[blueyon]

What does “nice” have to do with anything...some thing Obama is nice but that doesn’t make his policies any more correct...they are still wrong!

[SmokingJoe]

She might well be a nice person on a face-to-face level,

That's impossible.
You didn't hear her call the Tea Parties Nazis just a few months back?

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Well that’s it, obviously Coburn has been coopted. “

I wonder who bought him?

[KarlInOhio]

A lot of politicians are that way. They will smile and slap you on the back a couple of times and then stab you there the next time. I don't like it when either nice or nasty people use the Constitution for toilet paper.

[freekitty]

If he really meant and said this; why?

[Ben Mugged]

staunch conservative from Oklahoma

CBS points that out with a giggle.

[DManA]

It is not classy to rub the noses of your supporters with this crap. They don’t need to hear this. It is totally irrelevant what Nancy is like personally.

[OldGuard1]

That’d be all the worse. It’d not only mean bad judgment on his part, but it’d mean he’s a serious risk for defecting in the interests of “bipartisanship” and “compromise” with his friend Nancy.

[TJC]

This is why we are the stupid party. And why the tea party is becoming more popular.

Does anyone coach these people?

The witch of the house is not much different than Hitler, who I heard was ‘nice’.

What a Jack A**