Nancy covers for Renegade Jim. PLUS: Mel Martinez's Florida future.
p>
NANCY AND THE RENEGADE
br>
According to a Democratic House leadership staffer, leader
Nancy Pelosi
declined the requests of several
moderate Democrats, Reps.
Steny Hoyer
and
Martin Frost
included, to begin increasing the
heat on Virginia Rep.
Jim Moran
for his
anti-Semitic comments made to a community group last week.
/p>
"They wanted her to begin doing to him what Republicans did to
Senator Lott, begin pushing him out," says the staffer. "But she
wouldn't do it."
Pelosi, like Moran, is now very visibly opposed to the Bush Iraq
policy, and thus far has refused almost every moderate entreaty for
her to be more moderate herself in her leadership style.
"All she cares about is the liberal wing of her caucus, the rest
of us are just along for the ride, I guess," says a moderate House
member.