It very well may be that few actually know who the potential Speaker of the House is, or what policies she would advocate.

Glenn Reynolds notes a point from one of his readers, referencing a recent Washington Post op-ed by John Murtha: (emphasis added)

"This is probably why Karl Rove is up beat. Every time the Republicans are in trouble a Democratic mouth breather steps forward to save them. It's feaking uncanny. And it's not helping the Republic, though it is a big favor to the Republicans."

It was Burch who wrote a while back that: "I grow more and more convinced the Republican majority will end itself by 2006 if the Left will just shut up for five minutes." That may be what decides the elections.

This seems to be a well-learned lesson by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, as evidenced by this excerpt from a Newsweek piece by Karen Breslau, Eleanor Clift, and Daren Briscoe: (emphasis added)

... in an age when politicians can't seem to get enough camera time, Pelosi is a bit more selective. She makes the rounds of the Sunday-morning shows, and even went on "Letterman." But she isn't a regular face on cable TV, where aggressive hosts would try to prod her off message and viewers would have time to take her measure and form strong (possibly negative) opinions about her. "Two thirds of the public have absolutely no idea who I am," Pelosi tells Newsweek. "I see that as a strength. This isn't about me. It's about Democrats."

Think about that for a moment. A politician who is seeking to become Speaker of the House, and thus, third in line for presidential succession, thinks the fact that "Two thirds of the public have absolutely no idea who I am" is a strength.

It's the smartest thing I have ever heard Minority Leader Pelosi say.

A lack of self-awareness is not Rep. Pelosi's problem, that's for sure. It's her politics -- a political version of Three Card Monty, or perhaps the Shell Game -- that is.