The Washington Post has an editorial about Murtha’s bid to be the majority leader, and Pelosi’s aid in the matter. In it, Ruth Marcus succinctly explains why this is such a dumb move:
If she gets her way and helps Murtha win a come-from-behind victory against Maryland’s Steny Hoyer in tomorrow’s leadership election, she’s buying herself — and the Democratic caucus — endless news stories about Murtha’s ethics. If, as he says, Hoyer has the votes, Pelosi has made herself look weak within the caucus — not a smart move for any new leader, and certainly not for the first woman in the job. Perhaps the late timing and measured phrasing of Pelosi’s endorsement were meant to ensure that it would have little impact. If so, Pelosi failed to recognize that once she weighed in, the vote for majority leader would inevitably be seen as a gauge of her clout. (Source)
Really, not the best start for the new Speaker. “The Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history,” cooed Pelosi, and it seems to have lasted an entire week…
It brings to mind a famous closing line:
The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
I had such hope for the new Congress, but Pelosi is making me think it’s just business as usual…
It’s worth a reality check; we had an election, not a revolution. Politics are still politics. The inherent weaknesses of our system have not been reformed. Many of the problems — the bickering, the self-interest, the party loyalty, etc. we have are the same ones we’ve had for two centuries.
What we do have is a return to some semblance of checks and balances on the Imperial Presidency, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.
Exactly — we had an election, not a revolution. So we shouldn’t be hearing wildly optimistic views of the future that we know won’t come to fruition. Pelosi’s comments amount to that when juxtaposed to her support for Murtha even as the videos of Abscam flooded the internet.
I don’t know — maybe I’m just disillusioned by the whole situation in the States…