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'''Nancy Pelosi''', M.C. is the Representative for the 8th Congressional District of [[San Francisco]], [[California]] and is the current [[Speaker of the House]] (2007 -), succeeding [[J. Dennis Hastert]]. She is the first woman to become House Speaker.  Pelosi, a [[Liberal]] [[Democrat]], is among the top ten richest members of the House. <ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.asp?CID=N00007360&year=2005 opensecrets.org]</ref>
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'''Nancy Pelosi''', M.C. is the Representative for the 8th Congressional District of [[San Francisco]], [[California]] and is the current [[Speaker of the House]], succeeding [[J. Dennis Hastert]]. She is the first woman to become House Speaker.  Pelosi, a [[Liberal]] [[Democrat]], is among the top ten richest members of the House. <ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.asp?CID=N00007360&year=2005 opensecrets.org]</ref>
    
Pelosi prides herself in "being called a liberal" and does not consider herself a "moderate". <ref>Michael Crowley, "Follow the Leader," New Republic, November 25, 2002.</ref> Before becoming Speaker of the House, she was the Congressional Representative for the district containing [[San Francisco]] and has generally been criticized for imposing [[San Francisco values]] on mainstream America.  Senator McCain has called her "one of the great American success stories" and "an inspiration."<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/29/MN0I121CI9.DTL&type=politics McCain extends olive branch to Pelosi, Gore]</ref>
 
Pelosi prides herself in "being called a liberal" and does not consider herself a "moderate". <ref>Michael Crowley, "Follow the Leader," New Republic, November 25, 2002.</ref> Before becoming Speaker of the House, she was the Congressional Representative for the district containing [[San Francisco]] and has generally been criticized for imposing [[San Francisco values]] on mainstream America.  Senator McCain has called her "one of the great American success stories" and "an inspiration."<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/29/MN0I121CI9.DTL&type=politics McCain extends olive branch to Pelosi, Gore]</ref>
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Pelosi's major achievement has been the passage on Nov. 7, 2009, of the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" [[H.R. 3962]], costing $1.1 trillion. It just barely passed 215-210, as 39 Democrats deserted her leadership. Pelosi is a strong supporter of abortion but to get the 215 votes she had to give in to Catholic leaders nationally and abortion opponents in her own caucus and allow them to impose tight restrictions of the [[Stupak Amendment]] that bar any insurance plan that is purchased with government subsidies from covering abortions. As a result numerous liberals denounced the bill even as they voted for it.<ref>David M. Herszenhorn and Jackie Calmes, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/health/policy/08scene.html?_r=1 "Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling," ''New York Times'' Nov 7, 2009]</ref> The bill is now in the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.
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Pelosi grew up in a political family, her father was a Congressman and the mayor of [[Baltimore]] for twelve years. She graduated from Trinity College in Washington, D.C., in 1962. After marrying and having five children, Pelosi rose in the ranks in Democratic Party politics, and became representative to the Democratic National Committee and chair of the California Democratic Party. In 1987, Pelosi made a leap into elected office, winning a special election upon the death of Representative Sala Burton. She served on the Appropriations Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In 2002 she was elected Minority Leader and Speaker of the House after the 2006 midterm elections when Democrats gained the majorities in the House and Senate. When coming into her leadership position in 2007, Pelosi's "6 for 06" 100-hour campaign promise turned out being 100-legislative hours, and took several weeks. She frequently battled President [[George W. Bush]] over the [[War in Iraq]]. In 2008, anti-war protester [[Cindy Sheehan]] challenged Pelosi as an independent. Although Sheehan won 16% of the vote, more than the Republican nominee's 10%, Pelosi was reelected with 72%, indicating her House seat is in no peril.          
    
==Politics==
 
==Politics==
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One review stated,  
 
One review stated,  
 
{{Cquote|Hamilton and Madison knew what they were doing when they gave the bulk of the war powers to the President, and it's hard to imagine a more telling vindication of their wisdom...Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] claim to oppose the war and want it to end, yet they refused to use their power of the purse to end it. Instead, they tried every legislative gimmick imaginable to hamstring President Bush's war strategy without actually having to take responsibility for cutting off funds. <ref>[http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010126 Congress and Iraq], ''OpinionJournal'',  May 26, 2007.</ref>}}
 
{{Cquote|Hamilton and Madison knew what they were doing when they gave the bulk of the war powers to the President, and it's hard to imagine a more telling vindication of their wisdom...Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] claim to oppose the war and want it to end, yet they refused to use their power of the purse to end it. Instead, they tried every legislative gimmick imaginable to hamstring President Bush's war strategy without actually having to take responsibility for cutting off funds. <ref>[http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010126 Congress and Iraq], ''OpinionJournal'',  May 26, 2007.</ref>}}
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===Health Care===
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Pelosi's major achievement has been the passage on Nov. 7, 2009, of the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" [[H.R. 3962]], costing $1.1 trillion. It just barely passed 215-210, as 39 Democrats deserted her leadership. Pelosi is a strong supporter of abortion but to get the 215 votes she had to give in to Catholic leaders nationally and abortion opponents in her own caucus and allow them to impose tight restrictions of the [[Stupak Amendment]] that bar any insurance plan that is purchased with government subsidies from covering abortions.  As a result numerous liberals denounced the bill even as they voted for it.<ref>David M. Herszenhorn and Jackie Calmes, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/health/policy/08scene.html?_r=1 "Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling," ''New York Times'' Nov 7, 2009]</ref> The bill is now in the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.
    
===Boy Scouts===
 
===Boy Scouts===
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