I did a CNN interview yesterday about the kinds of problems which will face House Speaker-presumptive Nancy Pelosi and Incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid.
There will be plenty of problems. For instance, if Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker, she will be the highest ranking woman in the history of American government. Someone named "Nancy." Are you listening to this, Hillary?
But, here's the kind of thing which makes living in Washington, DC so worthwhile:
In 2001 Nancy Pelosi ran against Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer for the job of Democratic Whip - the number two job on the minority side. The guy who managed her campaign? Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania. Hold that thought.
In 2002, when Minority Leader Dick Gehpardt stepped down, according to Bloomberg News reporter Laura Litvan, "Pelosi quickly locked up the votes to become minority leader, making her the first woman to lead a major party in Congress."
After Pelosi moved up to Minority Leader, Hoyer won election as Minority Whip.
The thing about leadership fights in Congress is this: They leave deep, ugly institutional scars which never, ever fully heal.
Pelosi and Hoyer have had to work together, but they don't much like each other.
POP QUIZ
Which two Republican leaders had to work together even though they didn't trust each other as far as they could throw the statue Freedom off the top of the Capitol dome?
Dear Mr. Mullings:
Is that "statue Freedom" business some sort of red herring, or is the answer still Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay?
No herring. No gefilte fish. No nothing. That's the right answer.
What happened was, Newt's long-time friend and lieutenant, Rep. Bob Walker (R-PA), was running for Majority Whip to serve under Newt as Speaker. One version is, DeLay challenged (and beat) Walker largely on the grounds that House Republicans should be wary of handing too much power to one man.
Ironic, huh?
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