A story told in cloakrooms...  

It's great to see someone writing about how powerful Nancy Pelosi is, even if Novak is painting that power as sinister (but then what woman's isn't?). Before the elections last year, there was so much skepticism out there about her ability to lead effectively in the House -- although to be fair, some of that skepticism probably resulted from the smear ads running in contested districts all over the country linking local candidates to Pelosi's supposed extreme liberalism. As it turns out, she hasn't been nearly as divisive as advertised, and yet her political organization and legislative control inspires fear. Cool.