The Speaker of the House wields far more power than the Majority Leader of the Senate and is easily the most powerful figure on Capitol Hill. The Speaker is third in line for Presidential succession. So the constituents of the Speaker have a powerful influence on the government. The phrase "San Francisco values" applied to Nancy Pelosi was successfully wielded by the GOP, causing Nancy Pelosi to vanish from the public eye as a campaigner.

Dan Riehl spotted the San Francisco Chronicle's  selection of ordinary folks to speak out on  the Kerry flap. 

Q: Should Kerry apologize?

Amy Altschul, Oakland
Why should a person apologize for telling the truth? The truth is, for those who are not educated, the military is one of their only outlets. This does not mean the people are stupid, it means they are uneducated. Their lack of education often means the military, which currently means Iraq.

Vernon Burton, San Leandro
For what? Telling the truth? If a few more so—called leaders started telling the truth about Iraq, maybe we could save some of those lives that are being thrown away for nothing.

Miriam Rosenau, Berkeley
No way. Since when are you supposed to apologize for telling the truth?

Richard Brinton, Salinas
It would be a step in the right direction if Kerry would apologize for being a spineless worm when it comes to confronting the bloody war—mongers in the White House. He actually doesn't have the heart or the will to challenge Bush on his war crimes and corruption.

They are pretty funny. But Michelle Malkin wryly noted all the shibboleths selected by the editors in these and other items,

Chickenhawk invocation? Check. Absolute moral authority card? Check. Unapologetic elitism? Check. Check. Check.

This is indeed the mindset of Pelosi's base, and it a reason to be concerned about her own mindset and political needs. It may not be as widespread elsewhere, but a lot of Democrats think exactly this way.

Thomas Lifson  11 1 06