Pelosi faces no-win outcome over Murtha By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Democrats moved toward picking a top lieutenant to speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi and hoped to put to rest a politically costly family feud that intensified just days after they reclaimed the House from GOP control. Pelosi passed over Steny Hoyer of Maryland, now the assistant minority leader, and endorsed longtime ally John Murtha of Pennsylvania to become majority leader, the powerful No. 2 party post in the House. Yet Murtha could prove to be a problematic candidate because of his penchant for trading votes for pork projects and his ties to the Abscam bribery sting in 1980, the only lawmaker involved who wasn't charged. FBI agents pretending to represent an Arab sheik wanting to reside in the United States and seeking investment opportunities offered bribes to several lawmakers. When offered $50,000, Murtha was recorded as saying, "I'm not interested ... at this point." A grand jury declined to indict Murtha, and the House ethics committee issued no findings against him. "I told them I wanted investment in my district," Murtha told MSNBC's "Hardball" on Wednesday. "They put $50,000 on the table and I said, 'I'm not interested.'" Hoyer, a Pelosi rival, was battling to hold onto the lead in the race with Murtha. A closed-door caucus was to convene Thursday morning, and both candidates were predicting victory via a secret ballot, which allows lawmakers to be evasive when asked of their intentions. The Hoyer-Murtha battle is a no-win situation for Pelosi, who had hoped to avoid the fight. She is expected to be elected speaker of the House, a Constitutional office that is third in line for the presidency, when the new Congress convenes in January with a Democratic majority. Pelosi allies, including confidant George Miller of California, were aggressively courting votes for Murtha. A Murtha victory could create hard feelings among Hoyer allies, especially moderate Democrats. On the other hand, a Hoyer victory could be seen as a defeat for Pelosi in her first major move since Election Day.
There's the kind of intellectual, Democratic response we had all better get used to for the next 2 years.
I don't know about that Stu! It's the most intelligent thing he has come up with since the election. Give the guy credit. Everyone knows that it's better to get shot in the foot than it is the face, so cut him some slack, please.
I don't see how the internal leadership battle in the Democratic congress is a bad thing. There are always internal power struggles in the leadership of congress in both parties. What, have people forgotten Newt Gingrige's rise to power already? I'd be more worried if it were a cookie-cutter process with little or no descension by anyone. I suspect that any pleasure gleaned from this supposed Democratic disharmony has it's roots in sour grapes and the soreness felt from a large red mark on the rumps of Republicans. Go ahead guys, enjoy yourselves. If that's all you got, please go stand off to the side and giggle amongst yourselves while we lead the country out of this mess you created. :hail:
I would bet money that these same words were directed at you over the last many years. You have learned them well for an old man. Good job Pop!
Did Ronald Reagan teach you nothing or are you just too damn young and dumb to remember his words, "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." At some point in your self-aggrandizing life, please google the term "Ageism". You might as well know what it is you practice so frequently. :hatch: BTW Those are my words above except for the ones you incorrectly quoted.
Temper , temper now old man, it doesn't do you blood pressure any good and besides it reflects on the limited vocabulary you seem to think you have.
If you have lowered yourself to attacking my vocabulary rather than my message, it would seem that you have very little to contribute to the conversation but your malicious cynicism. Your parents must be so proud.
