NEWS FROM DOWN UNDER!!!!! Human tornado to whip through house
Geoff Elliott, Washington correspondentNovember 09, 2006
IN January, when President George W. Bush delivers the State of the Union address, a woman will be seated to his left on the dais for the first time in US history.
That will be Nancy Pelosi, the trim 66-year-old grandmother, who becomes the first woman to be leader of the House of Representatives.
The Democrats' sweeping win of control of the house ends 12 years in the wilderness for the party and elevates Ms Pelosi as arguably the most powerful woman in the US. Move over, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The position of House Leader means Ms Pelosi is the third in line for the presidency if tragedy befalls the President and Vice-President.
Her rise comes despite a concerted campaign from Republicans to highlight her "liberal views". That's something of a pejorative term among Republicans, and most American conservatives, but of little surprise since she represents the burghers of San Francisco, one of the more permissive cities in the US with a long history of tolerance for gays and a relaxed attitude to drug use.
In an acceptance speech last night to a cheering crowd in a hotel in Washington, Ms Pelosi tried to set a new bipartisan tone for the US Congress and conveyed a more moderate voice compared with her history of personal attacks on Mr Bush.
"Democrats promise to work in a bipartisan way for all Americans," Ms Pelosi said.
"We are prepared to govern. And we will do so working together with the administration and Republicans in Congress in partnership, not partisanship.
"Americans voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington DC and Democrats intend to lead the most honest, open and ethical Congress in history."
She touched on Democrat stump issues, saying Americans voted for a "fair economy" - and one of the first legislative measures Democrats are expected to introduce will be to increase the US's minimum wage.
But one of the key issues facing Ms Pelosi and Democrats as leaders in the house is their stance on Iraq and she challenged Mr Bush - who last week said Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was doing a fantastic job - that change was needed.
"Nowhere did Americans make it more clear that a change is needed in Iraq ... we can't continue down that catastrophic path," she said. "Mr President, we need a new direction in Iraq."
Ms Pelosi is credited with bringing new unity to the Democrats. Members of the Democratic caucus voted with their party 88per cent of the time in 2005, one of the most cohesive records in decades, according to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly.
That led to a new image of the grandmother emerging this year: a backroom fixer.
She is prepared to wield a big stick, using her power as party leader to dish out punishment and rewards. Ms Pelosi says: "Anybody who's ever dealt with me knows not to mess with me."
And married to a wealthy investment banker, she has a formidable fundraising capability. She is reckoned to have raised $US59 million ($76.3 million) for house candidates this election cycle and more than $US100million since she was elected Democratic leader.
Democrats across the spectrum praised Ms Pelosi as a leader who kept the party together in the house and would become an effective speaker when the new Congress convenes in January.
"She eats nails for breakfast," said Kendrick Meek, a liberal Democrat from Miami. "Because of her, we're more unified than we have ever been."
No one has worked harder "to bring us out of the desert", said Representative Anna Eshoo, a fellow Democrat from California and longtime friend. "This woman is a human tornado."
Ms Pelosi, the daughter and sister of Baltimore mayors, grew up immersed in politics and moved west in her 20s when her husband Paul Pelosi wanted to return to his roots.
She managed to work herself into California's Democratic political structure while raising five children who were born over six years. She didn't run for Congress until she was 46, when her youngest daughter reached high school.
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