Pelosi/Murtha Gamble: "She will ENSURE that [Murtha] wins."

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Monday November 13, 2006 · 10:22 PM PST

2006/11/13 · 22:22

So opens a stunning quote from tonight's TPM. It wasn't enough to write a letter, now someone in the Murtha Camp is claiming, via a story in The Hill that Pelosi will Ensure a Murtha victory. Apparently Pelosi is a loyalist and using policital capital in a early gamble to make our pal Jack the new Majority Leader.

"She will ensure that they [the Murtha camp] win. This is hard-ball politics," said Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), a longtime Murtha supporter. "We are entering an era where when the Speaker instructs you what to do, you do it."

What kind of Democratic Caucus is this? Discipline? Lockstep? Firm Leadership? Maybe Nancy will get my lover afterall. I have to tell you, I'm not sure that such a bold move this early is good. If she fails, it can really hurt the caucus, as Josh Marshall points out:

She's staked her authority and credibility on a Murtha victory. And since she represents the caucus, to a degree she's putting the caucus's authority and credibility on the line too, just after the Dems have taken power in the House for the first time in a dozen years. It's a really bold power-play on a number of levels.

Maybe she's doing it because she knows the Netroots favor Murtha. Maybe she's doing it as a show of Loyalty. Just maybe it's to put a real credible person front and center to lead the charge against Iraq. Maybe she wants to prevent a Centrist K-Streeter like her rival Hoyer from getting to close to usurping her...

Pelosi's move was deliberate, Moran said, and she was already leaning on her colleagues to affect the outcome.
"Yes, she's making calls to people. She is contacting people and letting them know that it's an unequivocal letter," Moran said.

Unequivocal letter? Talk about tough, some might even say overly tough. Or is Moran blowing smoke... as per The Hill

If Moran's claims are true, Pelosi is taking an enormous gamble only a week after the election propelled her into the Speakership. If she prevails, she will likely banish her onetime rival Hoyer to the back benches and send a clear signal to her colleagues that she intends to rule with an iron hand. If Hoyer wins, she loses substantial political capital and alerts the caucus that they can successfully oppose her.

If she pulls it off, we'll see a dynamic strong leader emerge in a unified caucus. If she fails, she'll be wounded early, and the MSM may jump all over her, handicapping us out the gate.

So I ask... Is this Gamble worth it?

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