Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi gave an interview to the National Journal.
I found this exchange to be particularly notable:
NJ Do you want to be speaker again?
PELOSI No, that's not my thing. I did that.
The interview was updated this afternoon after Pelosi's office had called NJ to challenge the transcript:
Speaker Pelosi's office blasted a press release this afternoon contesting the wording of NJ's question and asking for a correction. In fact, the recorded audio file supports the edited transcript above. Here is the question and answer, from the tape:
National Journal: Do you wish for the chance for the speaker position again?
Pelosi: No, that's not my thing. I did that.
First of all, it's rather funny in context that NJ has the typo of calling her Speaker rather than Minority Leader there. But I digress.
Considering Pelosi's recent history of backing Simpson-Bowles, cutting Social Security, unconstitutional surveillance, and now the imminent illegal war in Syria, she has lost a lot of progressive credibility in my eyes, which is rather unfortunate because she was a relatively progressive member of Congress for much of her tenure.
However, although Pelosi has lost much progressive cred, the leading candidate for her replacement, corporatist warmonger Steny Hoyer, never had any to start. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who has also seemed intent on a future Speakership, is not much better.
If I had to choose someone in the current House leadership, I'd go with Xavier Becerra (CA-34).
Becerra voted against Clinton's welfare reform, DOMA, the Iraq War, TARP, the Budget Control Act of 2011, and both the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 and the FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012, and he voted for the Amash-Conyers amendment. In some cases, he was the only member of the party leadership to take the progressive stance. His record isn't perfect (NATO comes to mind), but he'd be far better than Hoyer. Plus, he'd have the chance to be the first Hispanic Speaker.