A Redux Convention for Lady of the House

Pelosi has said she hopes superdelegates aren't the deciding factor in choosing a nominee this year. But that is exactly what happened when she was in charge of the rules panel in 1984, when unpledged delegates made the difference in handing the nomination to former Vice President Walter F. Mondale.

Mondale came into the convention without enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination, although he had many more than rival Sen. Gary Hart and was ahead in the popular vote. After the voting was all over, the support of superdelegates who Mondale courted early as Clinton has during this race gave him the edge.

Superdelegates are poised to play an even more defining role in this year's contest, with Clinton and Obama much closer in the delegate and popular vote count.

At some point analysts expect Pelosi to be a key player in mapping out a final result.

"We'll come to a point where the Speaker and others feel that they need to exert leadership privately and perhaps even publicly," Devine said. "She and (other leaders) are going to want to make sure that the endgame in the nominating process is a positive one."