Nancy Pelosi Is a Nice Lady

Oklahoma senator Dr. Tom Coburn raised some conservatives' eyebrows today with his statement that Nancy Pelosi is a "nice lady":

When discussing the short-term unemployment benefit extension that he is stalling, to the chagrin of Democrats, Coburn said he is "180 degrees in opposition" to Pelosi but that "she is a nice lady."

That comment drew boos and jeers from the crowd, but Coburn asked the crowd for calm and spoke about civility.

“Come on now. She is nice – how many of you all have met her? She’s a nice person,” Coburn said. "Let me give you a little lesson here. I hope you will listen to me. Just because somebody disagrees with you don’t [sic] mean they’re not a good person.

Pelosi has certainly said some very mean, uncivil, things about conservatives, but my impression (based only on one breakfast she had with reporters and a handful of press conferences) is that the speaker is indeed a nice person. She may not always tell me the full truth, but she always manages to do it with a smile, unlike, say, Harry Reid who comes across as cold and prickly. (And I have to admit I'm grateful that none of Pelosi's staffers have ever pushed me while I was walking down the hallway trying to ask her a question.)