At mid-day Wednesday, it fell to now-former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to introduce her successor, John Boehner, as he was sworn in as Speaker of the House. Some might have forgotten, but four years ago, on January 4, 2007, it was Boehner (not the departing Dennis Hastert) who introduced Pelosi when she first became Speaker. A look at the two speeches — Pelosi introducing Boehner and Boehner introducing Pelosi — shows striking differences. Boehner’s 2007 speech, coming after Republicans were trounced at the polls in November 2006, was self-effacing, gracious, and non-partisan. Pelosi’s 2011 speech, coming after Democrats were trounced at the polls in November 2010, was self-serving, sharp, and partisan.

Start with Pelosi introducing Boehner.  The outgoing Speaker began with some boilerplate about the importance of the occasion and then turned to a subject she has addressed many times in the past four years: herself.  Her time as the first woman Speaker, Pelosi said, “means that more doors are wide open for all of America’s daughters and granddaughters.”  Then Pelosi cast herself as the defender of America’s children in general, “their health, their education, the safety of the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat.”