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Nancy Pelosi Prepares for Takeover of House NewsMax.com Wires WASHINGTON -- It's a glass ceiling no one else has even cracked, and Nancy Pelosi was crashing through it Thursday, preparing to be sworn in as the nation's first-ever female House speaker. The 66-year-old San Francisco Democrat began her history-making day running into pro-life demonstrators as she went to a prayer service with her husband, Paul, and a daughter at St. Peter's Catholic Church near the Capitol. "You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion," read one placard. Pelosi and her entourage walked past the small group of protesters without saying anything. Attending the service with her were Republican leaders that her party put into the minority in the November election: new Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri. Also there were new House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, a one-time Pelosi rival elected by House Democrats to be her No. 2 over her protests, and Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean. From St. Peter's, Pelosi was heading to brunch with supporters before the House was convening at midday with Democrats rejoicing over taking control of Congress after 12 years in the minority. But the spotlight belonged to Pelosi, and she was making the most of it with a whirlwind of festivities from the lavish to the sentimental. The week was her coming-out to the nation, and she was aiming to introduce herself 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. Throughout, the symbolism of her triumph for women was center stage.
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Outside the brunch Thursday at the Library of Congress, leaders from the National Organization for Women planned to greet her with a giant congratulation card. The message: Way to Go! "This is a historic moment for women everywhere," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "Nancy Pelosi has broken through the marble ceiling." Pelosi always has said she wants to be judged by her abilities, not her gender, but she happily acknowledged the importance of her achievement. "Becoming the first woman speaker will send a message to young girls and women across the country that anything is possible for them," she said Wednesday. 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 and others.
Pelosi attended Mass Wednesday at Trinity University, where she's an alumnus, and dined that night at the Italian embassy. 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. Pelosi was raised there, the daughter of New Deal Maryland congressman Thomas D'Alesandro, who later became the city's mayor. She didn't run for the House herself until 1987 after marrying wealthy businessman Paul Pelosi, moving to San Francisco and raising her children. She now has six grandchildren. In Congress Pelosi displayed the tough politicking of her childhood environment. She wrung loyalties, counted votes and muscled aside Hoyer to become Democrats' second-in-command, and then Democratic leader in 2002. Personal loyalty is key to Pelosi. She tried to block Hoyer's bid in November to become Democratic majority leader, suffering an embarrassing defeat when her preferred candidate, Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, lost badly. Pelosi wins re-election by huge margins and stays true to her San Francisco constituency, voting against the Iraq war resolution and co-sponsoring legislation to end federal prohibitions against medical marijuana. Her liberalism makes some moderate Democrats leery, and she's avoided campaigning in some conservative districts.
© 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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