The Underappreciated Pelosi

Normally, one only writes about politicians when one is saying something mean about them, but Harold Meyerson's column on Nancy Pelosi reminds me that I think she's a really underrated political leader. Not flawless, of course, and anyone in her position is going to come in for some deserved criticism. But still, she's someone who basically shares my values and has vastly exceeded CW expectations.

You may recall that when she first became Democratic leader, everyone said she was doomed to fail -- too liberal. Then, throughout most of 2005-2006, all anyone did was heap scorn on the Democratic leadership. Then, immediately after the 2006 election, we were again warned of a dread Pelosi Backlash -- too liberal. But guess what? She seems plenty popular and is doing a good job of moving liberal legislation through the House. Admittedly, it just dies either at the hands of the Senate GOP or by Bush's veto pen, but that's not her fault.