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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (2931)	6/10/2006 11:39:27 AM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224707

Murtha's hidden agenda:Murtha Seeks House Leadership Post By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rep. John Murtha, an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, unexpectedly announced on Friday he will run for the No. 2 leadership post in the U.S. House of Representatives if Democrats regain control of that chamber in elections this fall. "If we prevail as I hope and know we will and return to the majority this next Congress, I have decided to run for the open seat of the majority leader," Murtha, a Pennsylvanian, said in a letter sent to House Democrats. "I would appreciate your consideration and vote and look forward to speaking to you personally about my decision," Murtha said in the letter. The announcement from the decorated Marine veteran appeared to take his party and Capitol Hill by surprise. The man who holds the No. 2 position in the Democratic caucus, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, immediately made clear he had no intention of stepping aside. "Mr. Hoyer worked extraordinarily hard to unify the caucus and take back the House for the Democrats, and that is his first focus," a spokeswoman for Hoyer said. "As a result of that unity, he is confident that we will be successful in November, and he intends to run for majority leader," she said. Hoyer, who is from Maryland, believes he has the support of the overwhelming majority of House Democrats, she added. Murtha, a hawk on military matters who started out as a supporter of the Iraq war, soured on the conflict and went public with his criticism last November, calling for an American troop withdrawal. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi opposed the Iraq conflict from the start, but Hoyer has been a supporter of the war. Eight-one Democrats voted for the Iraq war resolution in 2002, but 126 voted against it. Democrats must pick up 15 House seats to regain control of that chamber in elections this November, giving them the power to set the legislative agenda. National polls have shown voters preferring Democrats to Republicans, but the outcome in the House as well as the Senate -- where Democrats need six seats to take control -- will depend on individual races in which incumbents often have a strong advantage and local politics play a role. After the election, the leader of the majority party in the House would be expected to be nominated, and elected, as Speaker of the House, and the party would then choose a Majority Leader from among its members. Democratic aides who criticized Murtha's sudden announcement on Friday said he was proving himself to be more of a divider than a uniter. "Members really think Jack Murtha has caused a huge disruption. This is a major distraction from what our focus should be. We should be focusing on taking back the House, not leadership ambitions," one Democratic aide said. www.reuters.com