'This Is Pelosi's Moment'

No doubt there's some serious backroom dealing going on right about now in the halls of Congress. And that's perfect for Nancy Pelosi, writes Marc Sandalow. She didn't become Speaker because of her tact but because of her "mastery of the inside game." A West Coast liberal? Remember, she grew up in Baltimore, and her dad was an equally "hard-headed" politician. "This is Nancy Pelosi's moment."

Whether she succeeds is still up in the air, writes Sandalow at the San Francisco Chronicle. "But this is her legacy. If she fails, buildings will still be named after her for being the nation's first female Speaker. But her reputation for legislative accomplishment hangs in the balance. If she succeeds, in addition to health care reform, America may finally gain an insight into why Pelosi was the first woman to shatter the marble ceiling." (More Nancy Pelosi stories.)