Tomorrow House Democrats will elect their leaders for the 110th Congress. Rep. Nancy Pelosi is certain to be elected the first female Speaker of the House.
It’s less certain who will be the next Majority Leader. I agree with Speaker-to-be Pelosi that Rep. John Murtha’s early frontal assault on President Bush’s Iraq misadventure (and here) has earned him the right to be leader of the pack.
In a letter endorsing Murtha's candidacy, Pelosi wrote:
I salute your courageous leadership that changed the national debate and helped make Iraq the central issue of this historic election. It was surely a dark day for the Bush Administration when you spoke truth to power. Your strong voice for national security, the war on terror and Iraq provides genuine leadership for our party, and I count on you to lead on these vital issues.
And truth be told, if Rep. Murtha hadn’t taken the fight to Bush, Democrats might still be warming the back benches.
Speaking of back-benchers, rumors are running rampant that Congressional Black Caucus members will be passed over for committee chairmanships despite their seniority. Folks, I don’t know how these rumors get started.
Fact is, seniority alone does not determine who gets to chair House committees and subcommittees. That said, you can take it to the bank that Rep. Charlie Rangel will chair the House Ways and Means Committee; Rep. John Conyers Jr. will chair the House Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Bennie Thompson will chair the Homeland Security Committee.
As for the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, that is the only committee where the Speaker-to-be can pick any House Democrat to chair the panel. Period.
Indeed, seniority has little to do with who chairs the Intelligence Committee. Besides if seniority mattered, the chairmanship would go to Rep. Jane Harman, who is the Ranking Member, the rumor mill notwithstanding.
