Nancy Pelosi Bruised, Not Beaten, After First 100 Days as Speaker of the House

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

Nancy Pelosi Bruised, Not Beaten, After First 100 Days as Speaker of the House

04-14-2007 5:24 AM
By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- Nancy Pelosi won her biggest victory in her first 100 days as speaker by making peace among her own House Democrats. Mollifying moderates and staving off liberal defections, she narrowly wrung passage of legislation setting a troop withdrawal deadline from Iraq.

The Iraq legislation was the truest testament to her leadership, analysts said. The nation's first female House speaker has also passed a raft of other bills, set herself up as a visible opponent to President Bush and taken steps to protect Democratic incumbents who could be vulnerable to Republican challengers next year.


Then newly elected Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., bangs the gavel in the House chambers in the Capitol in Washington in this Jan. 4, 2007 file photo. Pelosi won her biggest victory in her first 100 days as speaker by making peace among her own House Democrats. Mollifying moderates and staving off liberal defections, she narrowly wrung passage of legislation setting a troop withdrawal deadline from Iraq. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)



Key tests lie ahead when House members return from their April recess in the coming week.

The Iraq troop withdrawal bill faces a veto threat from Bush. Pelosi critics point out that her legislative priorities, such as raising the minimum wage and expanding stem cell research, have not yet become law.

Read more: http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8OGAO2G0&_action=validatearticle