Pelosi's Troop Defections Even longtime liberals are exasperated by Ms. Pelosi's stubbornness in clinging to the remnants of her former power By JOHN FUND Yesterday was an awkward day for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. An advocate of transparency in government, her office had to bat away questions from reporters about who paid for a lavish party on Capitol Hill Wednesday that celebrated the "accomplishments of the 111th Congress." She also faced a growing revolt from within her caucus about her decision to continue as House Minority Leader after her party's thumping defeat. "The reality is that she is politically toxic," Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley told the Associated Press. Mr. Quigley is one of about two dozen Democrats who are adamantly opposed to her continued leadership, with perhaps another two dozen close to open revolt. "If enough people come out and voice a little discomfort with the idea of her continuing on, maybe she would reconsider," Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire wistfully told reporters. He and a handful of other members are prepared to publicly vote against Ms. Pelosi in the vote ratifying her status as leader that is held when Congress is sworn in on January 5. "You would find an unusual number of people not voting for the nominee of their party" if Pelosi were the choice, said Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah. "It just seems like a very obvious situation when change is called for." Even longtime liberals are exasperated by Ms. Pelosi's stubbornness in clinging to the remnants of her former power. Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Marcy Kaptur of Ohio have proposed that Democrats delay their scheduled November 17 vote on their new party leadership. But Ms. Pelosi isn't foolish enough to delay a vote and allow an opponent who would directly challenge her authority to emerge. So long as she faces only carping critics who can't agree on an effective strategy to dethrone her, she can count on the votes of feminist members, the Congressional Black Caucus and fellow Californians to provide her with the needed majority inside the Democratic caucus. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...7928526.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopOpinion