The Puppeteer begins pulling the puppet strings

It is almost a given that Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker of the House. And, for majority whip, the second highest position in the House Democratic leadership, she is backing Jack Murtha over Maryland moderate, Steny Hoyer. She is already showing her authority before taking over the office.

Barney Frank, Massachusetts Rep., said he thought she was making a mistake.

Pelosi loyalists worried that backing a loser early on would hurt her authority down the road, and project an image of a divided party.

She sat out to down play her support for Murtha the past few days. But, others say she is very serious; she is certainly going all out to back Murtha. She has already made 40 calls to incoming freshman, on Murtha's behalf. She's drumming support!

And that will make a real difference. One senior Democratic House member who was leaning toward Hoyer told TIME her vote was entirely dependent on the seriousness of Pelosi's interest in the race. Told that Pelosi was calling around in support of Murtha, the member said her vote was Pelosi's to claim: "The Speaker usually gets what the Speaker wants." Magnified across scores of calls, that kind of attitude could spell trouble for Hoyer.

So, the strings are being pulled, and they are answering. Her lieutenants are now in full support of the Murtha candidacy and they feel confident that he will win out over Hoyer. Some believe this is a gamble on Pelosi's part. If he wins, she has made a strong statement. But, he could also spell trouble, considering his ties with the 1980's Abscam affair (investigated but never charged).

A full blown ethics scandal would be a disaster for the Democrats as they enter their moment in the sun. And if Murtha loses, it's doubly bad for Pelosi. Not only would she have picked sides and lost, but she will have gone down fighting.

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Don Surber
Blue Star Chronicles

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