She's the Most Powerful Woman in the US

Gail Collins today loudly sings the praises of Nancy Pelosi, "a 70-year-old perpetual motion machine" who "combines the high ideals of politics with a sure grasp of the very practical realities." She gets things done, with major legislation on Wall Street and campaign finance rules this week alone. And let's not forget health care, with Pelosi one of the few on Capitol Hill who refused to buckle last winter.

"Pelosi is an idealist working in the practical now," writes Collins in the New York Times. "She genuinely sees her party as a vehicle for good and her pragmatism is not the least bit cynical. She is the most powerful woman in the country, the most fearless person on Capitol Hill and on track to be one of the most productive speakers in history. I don’t know about you, but that kind of knocks me out." (More Nancy Pelosi stories.)