Nancy Pelosi is a phenomenon

At the age of 83 Nancy Pelosi is going to stand again for Congress to represent California. She really is a phenomenon. US politics would never be the same without her. She has more influence and experience than 98 per cent of the rest of Congress put together. She is also a helluva lot more stylish dressed as she likes to do in her spectacular trouser suits. In the next few months her voice will be the one heard loudest and clearest about the dangers of bringing Donald Trump back to the White House. She has served in Congress for so long, twice as Speaker, that it is difficult to imagine the Capitol without her. No doubt there will be some people who will be critical of her decision: Trump of course who seriously dislikes her, other Republicans, and probably, secretly, the much younger Democrats in California who fancied their chances of replacing her there. But her decision in my view is in the best interests of the country as a whole. She knows more than most that democracy in the United States is at risk because of the growing violence of extreme politics. She represents moderation and common sense. America is going to need these two qualities as the country faces the prospect of a return of Trump in the White House. **Order my new spy thriller, Shadow Lives, from Amazon or Rowanvale Books.