“The best is yet to come.  And, America, we offer you our best, as we nominate Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker of the House of Representatives,” said Schakowsky.

  Schakowsky’s complete statement, as prepared for delivery, follows:

 “This is a moment about which I will tell my grandchildren, so they can tell theirs.

 “I want them to know I had the unique, historic honor of seconding the nomination of a great American leader, my treasured friend, Nancy Pelosi to become the first woman in the United States to become Speaker of the House of Representatives.  And, think of it, when she takes that gavel, she will become the most powerful woman in the world.

 “January 4^th will be a great day for our Caucus, a great day for Democrats, but more importantly, it will be a great day for the single mom, off to her job as a waitress, struggling to care for her child on $5.15 an hour; it will be a day of hope for the frail old woman who learned her life-saving medicine is not covered by her Part D plan. 

 “The mother who kisses her beloved son goodbye as he heads to Iraq will be praying that Speaker Pelosi succeeds in leading us in a new direction; the women and children in refugee camps suffering from poverty and violence, and the millions dying of AIDS – if they knew, would rejoice that a mother and grandmother who cares about them has arrived on the world stage.

 “For the majority of Americans who said, for the first time ever, that they believe their children will be worse off than they are, we say ‘NO, the best is yet to come.’  And America, we offer you our best, as we nominate Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker of the House of Representatives.”