"In the lead, in the lead!"

Today Nancy Pelosi, Representative from California, addressed the 110th Congress for the first time as Speaker of the House. She announced that she was accepting the gavel as speaker "in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship." This was following the statements made by the new Republican minority leader John A. Boehner, a Representative from Ohio, that the gavel and position were "on loan from the American people."

The address given by Pelosi was more than moving, it was inspiring for the spirit and attitude for all American countrymen. She stated that the first order of business was to "create the most ethical Congress" the country has ever seen. There were also promises to make college more affordable, to make health care accessible for all, and that retirement will be secure. Pelosi painted a picture of her vision of "a new direction that is there for all of the people, not just the privileged few," a direction that "builds and strengthens the middle class."

Beyond the excitement that Pelosi created by the Congressional turn-around and advancements for the future, she was also the first women to ever become Speaker of the House in the history of the United States. The election of Pelosi was a giant step for women today, with the Speaker herself stating that women had now broken "the marble ceiling." Her enthusiasm and thankfulness to her family for helping her to go from "the kitchen to Congress," warmed the hearts of our nation's daughters across the country.

Before taking the oath of office, Pelosi invited all of the children present in the House to come forward and touch the gavel. Many critics believed that it was a symbol of how she is going to use authority, as if over children. I believed that it was a symbol that the new Congress will be a voice for all of the little people in America, not for individualized interests of politicians.