"House Majority Leader Murtha"...you've got to love the sound of that.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/09/murtha.leadership/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Murtha will run for House leadership if Dems win this fall



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. John Murtha, an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, announced Friday that he would run for majority leader if the Democrats take over the House in the fall elections.

"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 said in a letter to his Democratic colleagues.

"I would appreciate your consideration and vote and look forward to speaking to you personally about my decision."

Murtha's spokeswoman, Cindy Abram, provided a copy of the letter to CNN.

There was no immediate comment on Murtha's announcement from the current minority leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California. If the Democrats take control of the House in November, Pelosi likely would become speaker, leaving the majority leader position open.

I have nothing against Murtha, but he is far from an outspoken opponent of the war I would say there would dozens of Democrats and Bernie Sanders the Independent who were far more firebrand in their opposition to it far before it started.

but I think I'd like to see all the candidates before I came out in favor of any one person this early in the game. In some ways, Murtha's one of the more conservative Democratic members of the House (or so I'm led to believe from the little I know of him), so who his opponent would be and how they compared would be a critical factor towards any show of support or opposition.

Having said that, I wouldn't like to see Murtha as majority leader. He's a conservative dem and not terribly eloquent. I appreciate his having turned against the war, but let's not forget that there was plently of reason not to vote for it in the first place. I have no idea if he has the skills to be a good majority leader, but as you mentioned it's not up to us.

but what does that matter, since all the kool kidz love him!

He's a patriot and has done a lot for the anti-war movement in the House, but he is absolutely NOT Progressive in any other way. Please check out his record before you tout him so highly for this position!

TC

are quick to scream that people like Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman aren't progressive enough to suit.

It's a big tent and there's room for everybody...but that doesn't mean you want to make a fringe figure the ringmaster.

Am I wrong; isn't the leader of the majority named the Speaker?

Speaker Pelosi sounds even better.

I'll call it a Senior Moment.