I know I’ll be sentenced to Operation Respect: Don’t Laugh at Me camp, but there is only one proper reaction to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s attempt to conceal her ignorance of the Kelo decision:

Snort.
Snort. Snort.
Guffaw.
BWAH-hah-hah-hah.

The folks at The Corner called Pelosi out first, and the blogswarm has been rightly merciless.

Betsy Newmark roars:

Where to start?

The Supreme Court in the majority decision even encouraged states to pass laws that protected private property from such takings. The federal government has the right to pass such laws. It would not be nullifying the decision. It is not that the Court said that takings for private benefit were a Constitutional right; it was just that the 5th Amendment didn’t forbid it. There is a big difference.

…Also, the federal government has all sorts of mandates that they attach to federal grants. Think equal employment provisions and environmental regulations. They can even require states to raise their drinking age for minors to get federal transportation money. So, there is nothing strange about them tacking on yet another requirement for federal grants for federal community development block grants to keep that money from being used in any local project that involves taking private property to benefit a private entity.

Then, there is Nancy Pelosi’s touching support for the finality Supreme Court decisions. Hmmm, did she feel the same for Bush v. Gore?

…She truly is an idiot. Neither Pelosi nor I have law degrees, but that is no excuse for her. She should be a mite bit more familiar with the history of the institution in which she works.

Erick at Red State:

In addition to not understanding the issue (she was asked with clarification more than once), she clearly has decided to cede the power of the purse strings. And what the heck does church and state have to do with it? Is Scientology condemning land in Marin County with her help?

Arguing with signposts offers Pelosi some tips.

Captain’s Quarters:

What an embarrassment Democratic leadership has become. We may yet see a collection of more ignorant, petulant, self-important incompetents at one time as Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Howard Dean, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Really. Would it have been so hard to answer: I don’t know. I’ll have my staff get back to you.

Her staff needs a call from The Castle Coalition. Pronto.

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