The spotlight
belonged to Nancy Pelosi on Thursday as she became the
first woman in history to stand at the head of the U.S.
House of Representatives, second in line to the
presidency.
Pelosi, a
66-year-old Democrat, aimed to introduce herself to America
not just as the San Francisco liberal decried by
Republicans but also as an Italian-American Catholic,
mother of five, and native of gritty Baltimore, where
her father was mayor.
She arrived on
the House floor for the historic event with her six
grandchildren in tow, including baby Paul Michael Vos, born
to her daughter Alexandra in early November. She
thanked her family for supporting her journey ''from
the kitchen to the Congress.''
After her
election, by a vote of 233-202, the chamber's
Democratic-Republican breakdown, Pelosi stood holding the
sleeping infant--who did not stir--and
shook hands as she accepted congratulations from her
fellow House members. Minutes later, cheers erupted in the
chamber as House Republican leader John Boehner handed her
the speaker's gavel.
Pelosi always has
said she wants to be judged by her abilities, not her
gender, but she happily acknowledged the importance of her
achievement. ''Today I thank my colleagues. By
electing me as speaker you have brought us closer to
the ideal of equality that is America's heritage and
America's hope,'' Pelosi said. ''This is an historic
moment--for the Congress and for the women of
America. It is a moment for which we have waited more
than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the
many years of struggle to achieve our rights.''
''For our
daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the
marble ceiling,'' she added. ''For our daughters and
our granddaughters, now the sky is the limit.''
Boehner, in
handing her the gavel, said, ''For more than 200 years, the
leaders of our government have been democratically elected.
And from their ranks, our elected leaders have always
selected a man for the responsibility and honor of
serving as speaker of the House. Always, that is,
until today.''
Pelosi had
entered the chamber to prolonged cheers from fellow House
members and the packed visitors' galleries, where onlookers
included actor Richard Gere and singer Tony Bennett,
crooner of ''I Left My Heart in San Francisco.''
Pelosi began her
history-making day at a prayer service with her husband,
Paul, and a daughter at St. Peter's Catholic Church near the
Capitol. Attending the service with her were
Republican leaders that her party put into the
minority in the November election: Boehner and minority whip
Roy Blunt of Missouri.
Also there were
new House majority leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, a
onetime Pelosi rival elected by House Democrats to be her
number 2 over her protests, and Democratic Party
chairman Howard Dean.
She also attended
a ceremonial swearing-in of the Congressional Black
Caucus, where the incoming leader of the 42-member group,
Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan, made
clear that they intended to have a voice in the new
Congress. ''She must deliver because black people
delivered that we might have this majority,'' Kilpatrick
said of Pelosi.
The House
convened at midday, with Democrats rejoicing over taking
control of Congress after 12 years in the minority.
''We look forward
to the rest of the country appreciating the real San
Francisco values, of diversity and a city of dreamers,'' San
Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom said after attending a
brunch in her honor. ''You can only exploit the gay
community so much.... They're going to see there's so
much more to San Francisco.''
Throughout, the
symbolism of Pelosi's triumph for women was center stage.
Outside a brunch Thursday at the Library of Congress,
leaders from the National Organization for Women
greeted her with a giant congratulation card. The
message: "Way to Go!"
Thursday evening
Pelosi was being feted at a $1,000-a-head concert hosted
by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at the
National Building Museum with performances expected
from Carole King, Bennett, Wyclef Jean, and others.
Friday begins
with an open house event across from the Capitol. Then she
heads to Baltimore, where the street where she grew up in
Little Italy is being dedicated in her honor: Nancy
D'Alesandro Pelosi Via. (AP)
