For someone unlikely to ever wake up in time for the Sunday morning talk shows, OxBlog has done me a great service with its roundup of the performances of all those involved. Amazingly, Tim Russert garnered an A this week, and a quick look at transcript excerpts at OxBlog makes it pretty clear why that was so deserved.Not that it is all that hard, but Russert absolutely destroys Nancy Pelosi for her inconsistent knee-jerk political opportunism. Here are the highlights (and here is the full transcript):

REP. PELOSI: …I think that [CIA Director Porter Goss’] dismissal was triggered by what has been happening on the scandal front for the Republicans with the third in command, who was hired by Mr. Goss to, to be involved in these card games and whatever else it was.MR. RUSSERT: Do you have any evidence to base that judgment?REP. PELOSI: Just a strong political instinct and the timing of it all.MR. RUSSERT: That Porter Goss is caught up in…REP. PELOSI: No, no, not—he isn’t. But the CIA and person that he appointed, who was a questionable appointee to begin with, is caught up in that, and it’s a reflection on his leadership and his management.MR. RUSSERT: But you have no evidence of that?REP. PELOSI: I have no thought that Mr. Goss is caught up in any of this, no.

But wait, it gets better:

MR. RUSSERT: I saw in the USA Today in December of ‘05 this story, and I’ll read it to you and our viewers. “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi switched gears and embraced a call to begin an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq,” which is quite striking, because in May of 2004 you were on this program, and I asked you specifically, “Should there be withdrawal of U.S. troops by a date certain,” and this is exactly what you said. Let’s watch.(Videotape, May 30, 2004): REP. PELOSI: No. I do not. I believe that because of the mess that has been made in Iraq we have to stay to stabilize Iraq. We have to secure the situation, because now, although it wasn’t the case before the war, now it has become a hotbed of terrorist activity.(End videotape)…MR. RUSSERT: But you said that, in ‘04, that you were concerned about stabilizing Iraq, securing Iraq, that it has become a hotbed of terrorism activity. Has anything changed?REP. PELOSI: No.MR. RUSSERT: Do you think it’s secure? Do you think it’s stable?REP. PELOSI: No.MR. RUSSERT: Do you think it’s a hotbed for—of…REP. PELOSI: Yes.MR. RUSSERT: Then why would you withdraw troops?

Bravo Russert.