Nancy Pelosi gives a tour of her new office

John King of CNN's "John King, USA" interviewed Nancy Pelosi recently, as well as got a tour of her new, smaller office as Democratic Leader.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's last press conference

Getty

Nancy Pelosi arrives to give her last press conference as House Speaker where she pressed Republicans not to repeal the health care bill.

The New York Times spotlights Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Ms. Gillibrand walks along the Senate halls

Ms. Gillibrand speaks at a news conference about the 9/11 Responders bill

In an article published on the front page of the New York Times on Thursday, author Drew Angerer highlights Sen. Gillibrand rise in notoriety over the past couple of weeks. As an outspoken advocate of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" and the 9/11 First Responders bills, Ms. Gillibrand emerged as a fearless leader after their passage on Wednesday. When both of the bills were stalled in the Senate. the mother of two, would give rousing speeches and news conferences demanding for their passage. And with that people began to notice - the opening of the article reads....

The spotlight was shining on her at last, and Kirsten E. Gillibrand, the oft-overshadowed junior senator from New York, did not hold back. Pounding the lectern on the Senate floor, raising her voice almost to a shout, Ms. Gillibrand hectored, reasoned with and sought to shame her colleagues into ending the 17-year-old ban on gays’ serving openly in the military. “If you care about national security, if you care about our military readiness,” she demanded, “then you will repeal this corrosive policy.” - The New York Times

While we here at Political Girl have always recognized the talents of the 43 year old successor to Hillary Clinton, its good to know that the rest of the world is paying attention too. Go Kirsten!!!

Elizabeth Warren in Vogue

Vogue Magazine

Depicted by Time Magazine as a "New Sheriff on Wall Street", Elizabeth Warren is gracing the pages of the January issue of Vogue Magazine. You may remember that in early September, President Obama chose Elizabeth Warren to run the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that was created when Congress passed the financial regulation bill. In the interview she discusses how she views money and her take on fashion.

"I want to live my life with color." People who can't enjoy their money are missing the colors in life," she stated in the article.

You can check out the rest of the article, here.

Stylebook: In honor of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's last day

While I knew this day was coming, the reality of it has finally set in. Today is the last day that Nancy Pelosi will be Speaker of the House of Representatives. And in honor of this somber day, I have looked high and low of some of my favorite moments of Speaker Pelosi.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after signing the healthcare bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi smiles after she clutches a pen President Obama used to sign the healthcare bill into law

The Life and Times of Elizabeth Anania Edwards

In heartbreaking news today, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards, passed away after a long battle with cancer. In a facebook post on Monday afternoon, she stated,

“The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered,” she wrote. “We know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren’t able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It’s called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful.”

I will definitely miss Mrs. Edwards. She was the type of political wife that wasn't afraid to speak her mind or champion the causes she believed in. I send my condolences to her family, yet I am comforted to know she is now resting peacefully with our Savior.

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.

Politicalgirl: Nancy Pelosi - Time 2009 Person of the Year Runner-Up

By now you have heard that Ben Bernake, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, was selected as Time's Person of the Year. With all the criticism of his selection, you might have missed that Nancy Pelosi was also selected as a runner-up on Time Magazine's annual list. Love her or hate her, Nancy Peloisi was a force to be reckon with this year. Speaker of the House of Representatives, she has been critical in President Obama's first year with helping him pass key legislation like the stimulus package this past January.

Here is an excerpt from Time.com

It can be foolish — maybe even dangerous — to underestimate Nancy Pelosi. A former stay-at-home mom of five who didn't run for public office until she was almost 47, Pelosi holds the highest post ever attained by any woman in U.S. history, and stands second in line of succession to the presidency. She has consolidated more power than any other Speaker in modern history, scholars of the office believe. In the first year of the Obama presidency, she has used that power — and an 81-seat Democratic majority, the largest either party has enjoyed in the House in 14 years — to pass every item on his agenda: health care, energy, regulatory reform, education, pay equity.