Your Beltway Press in action, Part 359: the Nancy Pelosi-Jane Harman mud-wrestle

Glenn Greenwald, (Unclaimed Territory) is on a roll with trenchant deconstruction of Beltway Centrism – the mushy worldview of Washington-based pundits that expects Democrats to split the difference on principles to accommodate the current occupants of the Executive branch, presumably for the more important purpose of maintaining a level of tranquility permitting Georgetown gatherings to stick to witty small talk.

Now that the “debilitating” one-day battle for Majority Leader between Steny Hoyer and Pelosi- supported Jack Murtha is moldy news, the current obsession of the Beltway centrists seems to be Nancy Pelosi’s choice for chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Jane Harman from California is the longest-standing Democrat on the committee, but she supported the Iraq War and has otherwise been a Lieberman wannabe on eavesdropping and other issues allegedly advancing the war on terrorism. Pelosi is reported not to want to appoint Harman, and the Beltway Punditry is in a snit, reverting to childish attacks on her for letting petty “personality conflict” affect her decision-making. Greenwald helps illuminate why civilization hangs in the balance over this decision:

There is nothing "credible" about Harman. Yes, she is smart and knowledgeable, but she has been wrong about everything that matters, particularly in the intelligence area. But she was wrong in exactly the same way that the Beltway geniuses and The New Republic and David Broder and Fred Hiatt were wrong. For that reason, they don't want her to be repudiated and rejected because that would constitute a repudiation and rejection of them. So they build up and glorify the "credible," responsible Harman because she represents them, and they hate Pelosi in advance for rejecting Harman for being wrong about everything because they feel rejected by that choice.

As a result, Pelosi and her opposition to Harman have to be belittled and removed from the substantive arena. Harman supported the most disastrous strategic decision in our nation's history and repeatedly defended the administration's worst excesses. That ought to be disqualifying on its face. But the Beltway media are guilty of the same crimes, so they want to pretend that Harman -- just like Steny Hoyer -- did nothing wrong and the only reason not to anoint her to her Rightful Place is because of petty, womanly personality disputes that have no place in the public arena.

For the same reason, they decree that Pelosi must prove that she's a "responsible" and serious leader. How does she do that? By embracing the Beltway establishment types, including those -- especially those -- who have been so wrong about so many things.

More background on the Bush-enablers in our nation’s capital can be found in Greenwald’s weekend post, “The ‘centrist’ position on the war in Iraq”
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/11/centrist-position-on-war-in-iraq.html#links . These people may be household faces from the talking-head circuit, but they are talking strictly to each other. They are not your friends