WASHINGTON — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) was elevated to the pinnacle of congressional power Thursday as fellow Democrats formally made her their choice as the next House speaker. But the same colleagues gave Pelosi a brusque lesson in the limits of her power when they rejected her choice for second in command.
In a battle that many felt Pelosi made unnecessarily bitter, House Democrats turned aside her personal pleas and arm-twisting and elected a Pelosi rival, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), to be House majority leader over Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.).
Hoyer didn't merely defeat Murtha, Pelosi's strong preference, but trounced him in a 149-86 vote as House Democrats met to choose leaders in the wake of a midterm election that gave their party control of the House and Senate for the first time since 1994.
Democrats selected her as their choice for speaker, but she will not assume the post until the new Congress convenes in January and takes a formal vote.
Pelosi's failed effort to anoint her own chief lieutenant fueled doubts among critics about the political skills she brings to leading her fractious party. It also sent a clear signal of what kind of leader she is: an old-style politician who puts a premium on personal loyalty, even at the risk of high-profile defeat.
Still buoyed by their election day victories, some Democrats were left wondering why Pelosi had injected herself into a bitter leadership battle with her last-minute support of Murtha over Hoyer, who had long been on track to claim the No. 2 job.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said a lot of members are wondering, "How did someone as good and as smart as she make this one mistake?"
Though Frank said he thought the episode would blow over, others saw it as a blunder that called for some serious fence-mending.
"The caucus is fractured in a way because of her involvement" in the leadership race, said Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.). "Her big challenge, starting from this moment, is to figure out how to wrap her arms around the caucus. It was a mistake for her to get involved."
A big factor in Murtha's loss was the concern about ethics problems in his past and his reputation as a backroom dealer who is cozy with lobbyists -- a profile that critics said would undercut the anti-corruption message that Pelosi broadcast in the midterm campaign.
