New speaker backs the wrong horse

New Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blew it when she backed the wrong horse for House majority leader, U.S. Rep John Murtha of Pennsylvania. Appropriately, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer was selected instead.

There are many battles and moments ahead for Pelosi to recover from her beginner's mistake, but she has much to learn from this humbling misstep. Even if somehow it wasn't technically Pelosi's venom dating back to a 2001 leadership battle between Hoyer and her, her decision to aggressively back Murtha sure looked like childish payback. Her job is to put petty fights behind her and make a decision about what is best for the party.

Hoyer, a liberal-to-moderate Democrat with solid business contacts, is the superior choice. He has worked tirelessly over many years to boost the flagging Democratic Party.

The public is tired of trivial personal squabbles. A successful speaker must be able to do what the late, great Sen. Warren Magnuson of Washington said, "Never hold a grudge ... Today's opponent could be a needed vote tomorrow."

Pelosi didn't follow that sage advice. She glommed onto the misguided candidacy of Murtha, who is reasonably credited with changing the national dialogue on the war in Iraq. The day this war veteran came out against the Iraq war was an important turning point. But if Murtha wanted to be majority leader, he should have thought about it earlier.

His record before his momentous speech is too splotchy. Questions about his ethics date back to the 1980 Abscam scandal. He has resisted new ethics rules even as Democrats railed against Republican corruption.

Pelosi was elected speaker, not queen. She should have skipped this fight altogether.

Washington Congressmen Jim McDermott and Norm Dicks backed Murtha, and they goofed.

Hoyer and Pelosi, the liberal from San Francisco, are a good team because they balance each other out. At the end of round one, Pelosi is 0 for 1. She has time to take a breath, pick herself back up and go on to be a first-rate House speaker.