Progressives are coming around to a view conservatives long have espoused: Nancy Pelosi is an embarrassment.  Her appearance on Sunday morning's This Week with George Stephanopoulos unleashed a torrent of criticism from the left:

-Nancy Pelosi's catastrophically bad answer on John Conyers

-HOW NANCY PELOSI SABOTAGED DEMOCRATS' HIGH GROUND ON SEXUAL ASSAULT (The all-caps from Vanity Fair are a nice touch.)

Byron York summed up the problem:

Pelosi averred that the anonymity of the accusers was the issue, so the following day, one of them went public:

Presto: San Fran Nan reverses herself.  "Unacceptable and Disappointing': Nancy Pelosi Backtracks on Defense of John Conyers."

In a statement Monday, Pelosi said that she spoke with Melanie Sloan, the high-profile Washington, D.C. lawyer who last week alleged that Conyers harassed and verbally abused her in the 1990s — including an instance where he called her to his office for a meeting in his underwear.

"I find the behavior Ms. Sloan described unacceptable and disappointing," Pelosi said in the statement. "I believe what Ms. Sloan has told me."

"I have not had the opportunity to speak with the other women, one of whom cannot speak publicly because of the secretive settlement process in place," Pelosi added. "That ridiculous system must be ended and victims who want to come forward to the Ethics Committee must be able to do so."

Apparently, being an "icon" like Ted Kennedy, "the lion of the Senate," no longer relegates accusers to "nuts and sluts" – James Carville's infamous characterization of Bill Clinton's victims who spoke out.

But will Nancy openly call on Conyers to resign?  That might not go down very well with the Congressional Black Caucus and, in her and the Democrats' nightmares, depress black voter turnout.  The better solution for Democrats would be for Conyers to resign, but can Nancy's persuasive powers work their magic on Conyers?  Stay tuned.

Methinks the long knives are coming out for Nancy, whose grip on the House Democratic Caucus long has rested on her fundraising abilities.  But as even CNN reported few days ago, "DNC's fundraising woes continue with worst October in 15 years," so her persuasiveness in seeking support from caucus members may be fading as well.