Josh Green admits that he underestimated her:
In hindsight, my mistake is clear. I made the common media error of placing too much weight on public relations, and too little on legislative skill. Obama took care of the salesmanship, and Pelosi's underappreciated experience as whip has proved instrumental to her success. [...] Pelosi didn't strike me as an effective opposition leader, and I wouldn't have imagined that she'd be an effective Speaker. But she's adapted handily to the way Congress operates today. It isn't always pretty and it doesn't resemble the bipartisan days of yore. But after last night's vote, it's much harder to argue that it can't be effective. And it's impossible to argue that Pelosi herself can't be either.
Chait concurs, and points to a profile of Pelosi by Michelle Cottle - a piece that "really helps explain how [Pelosi] pulled this off." Meanwhile, Jonathan Bernstein gives props to Harry Reid.