(Newser) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lashed out at President Bush in unusually personal terms today, calling him a "total failure" as president. "You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject," the California Democrat said on CNN.

Pelosi's outburst came in response to Bush's criticism of Congress for heading into its final 26 days without having passed one government spending bill. Said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino: "What the president said is a fact—this is the longest a Congress has gone in 20 years without passing a single spending bill, so it's clear that the speaker is feeling some frustration at their inability to do so." (Read more Nancy Pelosi stories.)

