ShareThisBy JEROME L. SHERMAN
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania and Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland are locked in a tight battle to become the next House majority leader on the eve of Thursday's secret vote by Democrats, and supporters of both men are trading shots, including accusations that Murtha was involved in a decades-old corruption scandal while Hoyer has done little to oppose the war in Iraq.
"This is hand-to-hand combat now," said Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., who is helping Murtha. "The numbers change from hour to hour."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader who will become the first female speaker of the House next year, heightened the race's drama Sunday when she publicly voiced her support for Murtha. Hoyer, currently No. 2 in the party leadership and a former rival of Pelosi's, had been the presumed front-runner before the announcement.
Senate Democrats on Tuesday completed their own leadership elections with little suspense, selecting Harry Reid of Nevada to serve as majority leader. Richard Durbin of Illinois will be Reid's vote-counting deputy, while Charles Schumer of New York will become vice chairman of the Democratic caucus.
Thursday's vote is far less certain. Both sides claim they have enough supporters to win.
"We just got another one," Doyle said as Rep. Gene Taylor of Mississippi handed him a crumpled pink note in the Speaker's Lobby.
Murtha, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, accused Hoyer supporters of dirty campaigning by bringing up the 26-year-old Abscam bribery scandal.
The congressman was an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, in which the FBI used video recordings to net several of his colleagues. When an agent offered $50,000, Murtha responded: "I'm not interested, at this point." Instead, he invited the agent to invest in his district.
Murtha called the resurgence of the story a "swift-boating" of his reputation, making reference to attacks against Sen. John Kerry's war record during the 2004 presidential race.
"I am disconcerted that some are making headlines by resorting to unfounded allegations that occurred 26 years ago," Murtha said in a statement. "I thought we were above this type of swift-boating attack. This is not how we restore integrity and civility to the United States Congress."
He also said Hoyer has supported the status quo in the Iraq war instead of backing the speedy withdrawal of American troops.
Hoyer denied that, providing copies of letters sent to President Bush _ signed by him, Murtha and several other members _ that ask for a change of course in the war.
Also, in a meeting with reporters, he declined personally to address ethics questions about Murtha's past.
Murtha kept a relatively low profile throughout his three-decade career in Congress until last year, when he called for the president to start pulling troops from Iraq as soon as possible. He quickly became one of the most prominent war critics in the country, receiving both praise and scorn for his stance.
He first announced his interest in becoming majority leader in the spring. Supporters say he hopes to use the post as a medium for continuing his opposition of the war.
Hoyer has long held an interest in rising through the leadership ranks. In 2001, Pelosi defeated him to become Democratic whip. Murtha managed her campaign in that race, building a strong relationship with the future party leader.
"Nancy Pelosi is a very loyal person. She indicated to me that she was going to vote for Murtha in a brief discussion," Hoyer said. "I was not surprised by that."
Hoyer, however, claims the support of a broad range of party members, including more liberal members who tend to shy away from Murtha's conservative positions on issues like abortion and gun control.
Doyle argued that Murtha's political philosophies would complement those of Pelosi, a liberal from San Francisco, and he said the party leader is taking an active role in trying to recruit more supporters for Murtha.
(Jerome L. Sherman can be reached at jsherman(at)post-gazette.com.)
