The Fighter: The Democratic House leader reflects on battles past—and those yet to come. 

By John Aloysius Farrell

NJ What kind of chauvinism have you faced in Congress?

PELOSI At first the men thought having women in the House was nice. Then they started to get a little threatened—it wasn’t as cute. When I decided to run for leadership, they said, “Who said she could run?” And I thought, “Perfect. That is exactly right. Who said she could run? Not you.” That is how they thought not that long ago.

Read the rest of the interview here.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Obama meets with bipartisan House and Senate leadership on fiscal policy including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Wednesday in the Cabinet Room of the White House. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)