House proud; Once wary of the limelight, Speaker Nancy Pelosi steps into her historic role ready for action.

Byline: John Powers

If you became aware of Nancy Pelosi only during the splashy three-day celebration of her becoming Speaker of the House, you might think she's always loved the limelight. She had a Baltimore street named after her, held bashes featuring Tony Bennett and the Grateful Dead, and in a scene clearly intended to define her image, she clutched the Speaker's gavel while surrounded by small children. What this coming-out party didn't show was that for years, Pelosi was far happier wielding her power behind the scenes. "Somebody told me that modesty is a private virtue and a public vice," she says. "It doesn't go with the territory of being Speaker. ...