Nancy Pelosi - Upward and Onward

Thanks to Nancy Pelosi, I now understand much more about the American political system than I ever did before. I used to wonder about all the strange sounding titles given to politicians on Capitol Hill, erroneously thinking that the Speaker of the House there is like the Speaker of our parliament here, yet nothing could be more wrong. Our Speaker has responsibility for the routine mayhem that goes on in the House of Commons when MPs are in the House, not quite part of the Executive power, but very powerful nonetheless, and he/she is appointed to the post in strict party rotation. But they wouldn't become king or prime minister if anything happened to the queen or Tony Blair.

Mrs Pelosi, on the other hand, is like our prime minister in stature. She appoints her 'cabinet' too with their various roles and is a very powerful woman altogether. Most important, she is also third in the American political hierarchy. Should anything really bad happen to the president and vice president she will be set and ready to become the next appointed interim president. That is awesome for a lady of 66. Let me repeat that again for those who missed it first time: Nancy Pelosi is 66 and looks fabulous, like being in her early 50s. She is ready at that age to take on the world.

If she were in the UK, she would never have attained such a high office because she would have been excluded purely because of her age and derided by the pundits. The media would have had a field day about her. Everyone would be moaning that she is too old for the job and bypass her. Fortunately, in America, ability counts a lot. Age is not an issue there because American society still venerates older people, especially older men who are very powerful. That's what endears me to some aspects of that country. It does not matter how old you are (one of the candidates for deputy was 73!), the opportunity is still there to prove your worth. So long as you have the talent and can hack it, you are in. That is why America is so well developed and successful. It does not cut off its population at 50, isolate them from their work and passions, then talk lamely about human value and equality for all. It speaks with action.

Thank you Nancy for motivating and educating a Brit across the Pond; for giving hope and encouragement to millions of women across America today. Here's wishing you the greatest success in your new post. No doubt you will be kicking a lot of asses in the months to come. Go for it Girl!