Pelosi Is the New Ted Kennedy

President Obama may be the one history remembers for pulling off the biggest domestic policy reform in decades, but Nancy Pelosi "emerges from this battle as the real powerhouse in Washington," Julian Zelizer writes for CNN. Wielding both a "clear ideological agenda" and the "pragmatic political tactics" to round up votes, Pelosi is the clear heir to Ted Kennedy's legacy, Zelizer writes.

After Scott Brown's election, with Harry Reid and Rahm Emanuel backing away from comprehensive health reform, Pelosi "kept the steel in the president’s back," a Democratic rep tells Politico. "When Kennedy died, many Democrats wondered who would take his place as the party's dealmaker," concludes Zelizer. "Now they have their answer." (More Nancy Pelosi stories.)