Carl Hulse has a report coming up in tomorrow's Times which demonstrates what the Democrats in both Houses have learned from the right about Being On Message.
Less than 24 hours after taking over as speaker, Representative Nancy Pelosi summoned the new chairmen of five committees with responsibility for various aspects of Iraq policy to her office to review and coordinate plans for hearings and inquiries. The gathering on Friday would have been unthinkable when Democrats last controlled the House.
...Now the new Democratic leaders of the House and Senate want to avoid a return to that era by forging a working relationship with the men and women who will actually write the bills and lead the Congressional investigations.
...“The challenge of maintaining a coherent message even though the power in the Senate is so diffuse is probably our major challenge,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the Senate’s third-ranking Democrat.
Good luck. Max Baucus (Finance) is making trouble. Joe Lieberman (Homeland Security) is an unknown factor. Rangel (Ways and Means) and Dingell (Energy and Commerce) are holding onto their past positions but seem willing to cooperate, albeit tentatively.
Henry Waxman (Oversight and Government Reform) is on board. But Barney Frank (Financial Services) is a little wary of micromanagement.
Through the meeting she convened on Friday and conversations with other lawmakers, Mrs. Pelosi has shown she considers herself firmly in charge of the House and is not going to let the chairmen set the pace.
