The marble ceiling

"For our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling." Surely Nancy Pelosi's words on Jan. 4, spoken as she was formally elected speaker of the House for the 110th Congress, will be written in the history books and continue to echo long into our great country's future. As the first woman in American history to hold the gavel as speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi's position is as good as it gets. Third in the succession of power after only the president and the vice president, no woman has ever been at a position of equal power in America's government. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, though well known women in the political arena, aren't even in the same league as this, a crowning achievement for women after more than 200 years of struggling to achieve equality in a male-dominated society. This achievement was finally realized through women's-suffrage movements and other campaigns for equality. This country has long remained decades behind European, South American and even some Middle Eastern countries in electing women to positions of real authority. \nAre we witnessing a changing of the tides for American women regarding the positions they can hope to obtain, or is Pelosi's historical gain nothing more than a product of luck and circumstance? Perhaps this is only the beginning for women who seek higher positions in our government, economy and society. Maybe it is truly a new era in politics, among other things, where, as Pelosi said, "the sky is the limit." Other prominent women in leadership positions certainly seem to think so. Clinton, if she does indeed declare her candidacy for the 2008 presidential election, will not be the first woman with her eyes set on the American presidency (the presidential election has seen women candidates since 1872 when Victoria Chaflin Woodhull ran for The Equal Rights Party in a number of states), but Clinton will be the first woman to have a serious chance at obtaining the office. \nWith a huge financial advantage, not to mention the name recognition that comes with being a former first lady and the most famous person that would ever run for the office, should Clinton choose to compete for the Democratic bid she will be a very serious contender to actually win the presidency. Though the nation was clearly not ready in 1872, the 2008 elections will fall after almost two years of House leadership under Pelosi, which could have a hand in determining the outcome of Clinton's campaign. \nWith Pelosi's "aggressive legislative agenda" and powerful first-100-hours campaign that began with a debate over whether or not to carry out the Sept. 11 commission recommendations, it already seems we can expect exceptional progress and major changes in Congress as Democrats begin to clean up the House under Pelosi's leadership. With the hopes of so many young girls riding on the success of the 110th Congress, may the daughters of 2007 say: "Today Congress. Tomorrow the presidency"