From this morning's NY Times:

In Race for Majority Leader, Pelosi Risks Early Setback

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 — The intensifying fight for the No. 2 Democratic leadership job in the House is evolving into an early test of the power of the incoming House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, following her decision to throw her public support behind Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Murtha, widely considered an underdog to Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the current second-ranking Democrat, sought on Monday to use a new letter of support from Ms. Pelosi to gain ground on his rival, asking for new pledges from Democrats who converged on Washington after their decisive midterm election victory.

Mr. Murtha and his allies said the role he had played in questioning the war in Iraq helped legitimize Democratic opposition and turn it into a winning campaign issue, making him the natural choice for majority leader at a time when Iraq policy will dominate the coming months of the Congress.

"When the public speaks, things are going to change," Mr. Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran, said today.

Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Murtha are similar in some respects, both veterans of the Byzantine appropriations process and skilled in winning money for local projects in the annual spending bills. While Mr. Murtha has been closely allied with Ms. Pelosi against the war, he is well to the right of her on many social issues like abortion and gun control and is known for his ability to work with conservatives in both parties. Mr. Hoyer is more liberal over all on social issues but is considered a pro-business Democrat.

While Mr. Hoyer has been a fixture in leadership, Mr. Murtha eschewed the spotlight and seemed content to wield his considerable influence well behind the scenes until he took a high-profile stand against the war.

But Mr. Murtha is also coming under the spotlight on another subject that dominated the campaign: Congressional ethics. Mr. Murtha helped block ethics changes that Democrats had proposed last year. He has been an astute backroom dealmaker known for trading votes for the pet projects known as earmarks. He has had family members who lobbied on issues under his control, and he was caught up in the Abscam scandal more than 25 years ago, though he was never charged.

The leader of one watchdog group said today that Mr. Murtha's record should disqualify him from the job, particularly since Democrats campaigned so hard against Republican corruption and have promised to make new ethics and lobbying rules a priority.

"How can Americans believe that the Democrats will return integrity to the House when future Speaker Pelosi has endorsed an ethically challenged member for a leadership position?" asked Melanie Sloan, the head of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a "mainstream" group that focuses of government integrity in Washington. "Representative Murtha is the wrong choice for this job."

Mr. Murtha dismissed the attack and promised that, if elected majority leader, he would help formulate a strict ethics policy. "Wait until you see the ethics package we support and we pass," he said. "No meals, no trips, nothing. I support it 100 percent."

Mr. Hoyer, who learned of Ms. Pelosi's letter of support while he was courting new Democratic members at a reception on Sunday, said he did not anticipate much of a shift in votes as the result of what he described as her low-key endorsement.