Murtha Crashes the Gate

This would be a sea change:

Rep. John Murtha, a 16-term Democrat known for his close ties to the military and his outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq, said Friday he will run for House majority leader if Democrats win control in November.

Murtha, 73, wrote in a letter to Democratic colleagues that he would seek the post "if we prevail, as I hope and know we will, and return to the majority this next Congress."

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

Murtha wouldn't be facing Nancy Pelosi, who would presumably become the Speaker of the House (first woman ever, I might add). He would probably be up against Steny Hoyer, a "blue dog" Democrat who a Maryland blogger told me "owns the state." He thinks that fight would be ugly. I'd welcome it. Murtha would be a great voice for the party and as Majority Leader he simply could not be ignored. Hoyer's an insider who has virtually no visibility outside of Washington. The Majority Leadership is an important position for the party brand. Ideology doesn't necessarily matter, but a willingness to stand up and speak out does.

Of course, this is premature. But what fun is a world without speculation?

Oh yeah, and Murtha opposes abortion. Which means that if there's a clean sweep of Congress it could shake out that the Majority Leader of the House and Senate oppose abortion. There's your "Party of Death." (However, I think they'd take the 'safe, legal and rare' line in legislation.