Miss America sparkles in the Speaker’s Lobby

Though she wasn’t wearing her crown or sash, Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron held court outside the House floor during an afternoon vote Tuesday, even grabbing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) attention as the legislative body’s leader charged into the chamber to oversee her caucus.

Looking low-key in a satiny silver-and-black striped top and black pants, Cameron came to the Capitol with Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), with whom she had been meeting before the vote to discuss her HIV/AIDS platform.

{mosads}Napolitano and Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) acted as her ambassadors, ushering no fewer than 14 members, the chaplain and a gaggle of pages to the chamber’s East door, where Cameron was holding her wooden crown box and repeating a seemingly endless loop of “Nice to meet you!” and “Thank you so much!”

Pelosi nearly missed the beauty queen until Carson stopped the Speaker to let her know, at which point she backtracked, flashed her biggest smile, congratulated Cameron and posed for a photo with her.

But Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) might have received the prize for most original greeting.

“Girl, I know you’re glad I didn’t get in the contest,” she said before giving Cameron a hug.

Cameron, knowing right where Moore was going with that thought, answered, “Because you would’ve beat me!”

That wasn’t the only political intuition Cameron showed during her daylong visit to the Capitol. Asked why she wasn’t wearing her crown, she said, “I didn’t want to make a spectacle.”