OPINION — It’s been a bad couple of weeks for Democrats. They now own a failed and discredited partisan impeachment, especially Nancy Pelosi and her chief prosecutors, Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler.

“Nice” Iowa turned in a chaotic performance that put the issue of Democratic competence into play. Do voters really want to put their health care in the hands of people unable to count a few ballots and deliver credible results?

This was followed by Donald Trump’s State of the Union that put congressional Democrats in the unenviable position of having to sit glumly on their hands as the president touted the economy and delivered a series of visually moving American stories, highlighting his policies and plans.

And then there was the behavior of the speaker herself over the past month. As it became clear that her strategy was to force the Senate into a witness-packed trial to salvage her managers’ weak case, Pelosi’s conduct became more defensive, more combative and less effective.

Her increasing irritability was on full display during the State of the Union as she fidgeted throughout the 78-minute speech. But when her temper finally got the better of her, it was the image of the speaker of the House ripping up a copy of the text in full view that will forever linger in people’s memories of her and her leadership.