Procrustes Stretched
"intuition and imagination and intelligence"
I apologize for having so little faith in you when you fought the good fight. It must have been a lonely road during the battles, but thank you, thank you, thank you.
Pelosi emerges as powerhouse in D.C. - CNN.com
Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- The passage of health care will certainly rank as one of the major political achievements of recent decades.
...
She "kept the steel in the President's back," Democrat Rep. Anna Eshoo told Politico. Finally, in the past week she displayed the kind of vote-gathering skills that have been displayed by legendary figures such as Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas.
From the start of Obama's presidency, Pelosi has argued that Democrats should focus on maintaining partisan unity rather than on achieving bipartisan coalitions. She has implored her colleagues to act with confidence rather than out of fear. Her goal has always been to find ways to keep Democrats together rather than bringing Republicans on board.
In an era where partisan polarization makes true bipartisanship impossible, this is the most effective and realistic approach for Democrats.
Her philosophy echoes the beliefs of another powerful leader who said: "Show me a nation without partisanship, and I'll show you a tyranny. For all its faults, it is partisanship, based on core principles, that clarifies our debates, that prevents one party from straying too far from the mainstream and that constantly refreshes our politics with new ideas and new leaders." That was from a farewell statement by Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
...