[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Former State Senator Jackie Speier is Exhibit A for why California's term limits law needs to be reformed.

The popular Bay Area legislator was one of the most effective in the California legislature, writing laws to protect privacy, advance women's rights, and help consumers. Yet just as she was in her prime, she was forced out of office by term limits.

In 2006, she finished a strong second in a three-way battle for LG behind the eventual winner, John Garamendi. Impressive as she was on the stump, Speier came up short in both name ID and money against Garamendi. Her campaign hasn't ended: Speier wrote a book and has been active in Democratic politics, particularly in building a network of strong women supporters.

Now it appears that Speier will take a shot at long-time incumbent Congressman Tom Lantos and face the same obstacles as she did in the LG primary.

For starters, Lantos is extremely tight with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker doesn't take kindly to primary challenges to incumbent Democrats. They drain campaign cash that would otherwise be used against Republicans. On top of that, Lantos is a key Pelosi ally, and is a powerful voice in the Democratic majority's foreign policy strategy and a recognized Bush critic.

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