Nancy Pelosi is now the invisible lady in Washington

For some time The Tatler has been wondering just where is former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi?   She’s become invisible in this town.

Today it was confirmed by others. It appears Pelosi has been forced into some form of involuntary retirement.  She is persona non grata within Democratic leadership circles and at the White House.  Politico‘s Jonathan Allen reports this morning that in the budget negotiations to avoid a government shut down, “none of the power brokers wanted her in the room.”  They thought her hard edged liberal politics would doom the dialogue.  And it turned out she wasn’t invited when the tough negotiations ensued.

And yesterday when President Obama unveiled his new board to decide future Medicare changes, the former Speaker had to learn about it from a Politico newspaper reporter.  Politico says Pelosi “snapped” at presidential economic adviser Gene Sperling because she had never been consulted about the panel, its composition or the timing of its confirmation by Congress.

In Washington terms, the former Speaker is no longer “in the loop.”

UPDATE: In an press conference today former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wavered between petulance and coldness toward her Democratic colleagues and President Barack Obama.  She said the she felt “no ownership” for the 2100 budget bill hammered out by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and the President. The House still needs to pass the bill for it to become law.

She told reporters today “I haven’t made any statement as to how I would vote but it was pretty evident the House Democrats were not a part of that agreement.”

Pelosi’s growing estrangement from the President and her fellow Democrats in the Senate appears to be deepening. It is unclear how Pelosi’s attitude might contribute to future Democratic congressional unity and to the spreading left-liberal disenchantment with the President.