Politicalgirls: Newsmakers 2009

Some made history and others reclaimed their places in the political limelight. One wrote a book and another championed women rights around the world. These are the Politicalgirls that were Newsmakers in 2009.

Michelle Obama -  She became the first African American First Lady and during her inaugural year advocated for military families and promoted healthier eating for school age children. Hillary Clinton -  Following her failed presidential run, the current Secretary of State threw  herself into her new position of restoring America's image abroad. Sarah Palin -  She shocked the political world this year when she resigned as governor of Alaska and released her New York Times bestseller, Going Rogue: An American Life. Nancy Pelosi - Became the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007, and has led the House in passing some of President Obama biggest initiatives. Susan Rice - The first African American Ambassador to the United Nations, she has helped pass a resolution in the UN condemning sexual violence against women and has supported other initiatives aimed at assisting women worldwide. Sonia Sotomayor - The third woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court, she is also the first Hispanic to serve on the nation's highest court.  Olympia Snowe -  A moderate Republican from Maine, she is known for working with her Senate counterparts. While she did not lend her support to the Democrats on the recent Senate health care bill, earlier this year she was one of only 3 Republicans that supported the stimulus bill. Kathleen Sebelius -  While she hasn't been front and center on the health care debate the Health and Human Services Secretary, helped calm the public nerves about the H1N1 flu this year.