As strange as this may sound, I find political science to be quite fascinating. While some may yawn loudly at the idea of reading case law and learning the procedures of Congress, I become an eager pupil. It intrigues me.

Yet I can definitely say I favor the science part over the politics. I would prefer to learn about the theories of different types of government rather than debate who is the most powerful senator. Politicians are presumptively crooked and far too reserved in my book. If they go out on a limb — on either side of the liberal-conservative spectrum — I am much more likely to at least listen to what they say rather than turn a deaf ear.

Taking a lesson from some peers of mine who sleep when they find a subject boring, I turned on some political commentary last week when I found myself suffering from a mild case of insomnia. There was plenty on due to the host of questions created by the command Republicans may have due to winning a majority of races held on Nov. 5. I flipped through the channels until my television set came to rest on the show “Crossfire.” If you have never watched it before, generally what goes on is four people openly debate various issues involving the government.

Instead of sleeping, I found myself listening to the show. The discussion was based on who would take over as Democratic Minority Leader in the House of Representatives considering current Minority Leader Richard Gephardt’s resignation. The running candidates at the time of the show were Nancy Pelosi of California and Martin Frost of Texas. Being interviewed was the youngest Democrat in the house, Harold Ford of Tennessee.

Ford generally seemed to view Pelosi as far too radical for the position. He stated he would favor Frost for his more moderate views.

Pelosi has always been known as a left-leaning Democrat. Recently she has led the charge in the House against the Iraq resolutions. She has been a representative sine 1987. Currently she holds the position of Minority Whip, which is the highest rank ever to be held by a woman in Congress.

Since the particular episode of “Crossfire” that I watched, Frost has completely dropped out of the race. To my surprise, I opened the Des Moines Register on Saturday to find out that Ford had entered the race.

Now personally I hardly ever follow particular people in the House. There are far too many to keep track of. But it just struck me as odd that Ford suddenly jumped into the race at the last second.

Like Frost though, Ford is just too middle-of-the-line to be a good leader for a drowning Democrat party. While some, specifically Frost, feel Pelosi’s pull towards the left will keep Democrats permanently in the House minority, I think it may actually cause more shake-ups.

I have been quite disappointed with how far to the middle both political parties have gone. It is the main reason I choose not to affiliate with either. It almost seemed like in the 2000 election that it did not matter if you voted for Bush or Gore because the end result would be the same. Or, as my high school history teacher put it, the elections would put into office the “evil of two lessers.”

No one can accuse Pelosi of not going out on a limb. While some congressmen attempt to represent all of their constituents to maintain popularity, Pelosi takes another approach. She stated, “I do not think that people elected me to be a leader and not an advocate for my own point of view.” After all, she was elected for her point of view more than anything else.

If Ford were to win House Minority Leader, the Democrats are going to resemble hand-me-down Republicans. There will be less opposition to highly conservative bills regarding Iraq and issues regarding homeland security. The feared possibility of a Republican mandate will become a reality. On the other hand, Pelosi could lead a strong opposition to such things. She will certainly push the envelope regarding liberals vs. conservatives.

I do not pick a side in the battle, but just to have that battle will cause our government to be more representative of the entire population. It may even make politics a little less boring. I guess I will just have to find a new cure for my insomnia.

Ayrel Clark

is a sophomore in journalism

and mass communication from Johnston. She is the opinion editor of the Daily.