Via Breitbart, here’s the perfect ending to her ruinous tenure as Speaker: A spirited defense of our gigantic new health-care boondoggle, whose numbers have been gamed literally since day one, on grounds that they simply had to do it … for the savings. Most of the rest of her party abandoned this insane, Orwellian argument months ago, but not Nancy. She was defiant in the face of a looming Republican landslide this fall, predicting to the bitter end that they’d hold the House; she was defiant after the landslide hit, running for minority leader despite the coast-to-coast repudiation; and now, on the eve of losing her gavel, she’s defiant towards the critics (among them Obama’s likely new chief of staff) who think her signature domestic “achievement” maybe wasn’t such a bright idea. She bet everything on O-Care and she lost big, so her options at today’s presser were either to go out there and eat shinola or put on a brave face and insist she has no regrets. Guess which she chose. Could any caucus leader have chosen differently?

I’m almost disappointed that she didn’t come clean and admit that they were willing to trade their majority for a new paradigm-shifting piece-of-dreck entitlement, with further “savings” in the form of a public option and single-payer to come somewhere down the road. I suppose she couldn’t do that lest the few surviving Blue Dogs in the caucus start wondering how many of their seats she’s willing to trade for her next “achievement,” but fear not. If you’re looking for hubristic statements from Nancy, this’ll do the job nicely:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today after the incoming House Republican leadership posted their legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

“As we begin the 112th Congress, the number one priority of House Democrats will continue to be putting Americans to work. Each new proposal will be measured by a simple test: does it create jobs? Does it strengthen America’s middle class? And does it reduce the deficit? When our Republican colleagues put forward solutions to the problems facing Americans that meet these tests, they will find in Democrats a willing partner.”

They spent the better part of a year chasing their health-care dreams while the public screamed for economic relief, and now, before Boehner’s even sworn in, she’s lecturing the GOP on priorities. Again: This is the perfect ending.

Oh, by the way, Boehner’s office finally replied to Harry Reid’s warning that the House shouldn’t try to repeal ObamaCare. You can read that here. Note the last line.