Here is a Washington Post article by Jonathan Weisman and Lois Romano: Pelosi Splits Democrats With Push For Murtha: Speaker-to-Be Accused Of Strong-Arm Tactics
…Pelosi’s aggressive intervention on behalf of Murtha has baffled and angered many Democrats, who think she has unnecessarily put her reputation on the line out of misplaced loyalty to a friend and because of a long-standing feud with Hoyer, the minority whip….
…For the most part, lawmakers, Hill aides and some outside advisers — even some close to her — say they are at a loss to explain why Pelosi has held a grudge for so long, because she clearly has the upper hand as leader of the House Democrats. They suggest that part of what rankles her is that Hoyer is not beholden to her and feels no compulsion to publicly agree with her on every issue. This, allies say, she sees as a sign of disloyalty….
It’s interesting that the elected leaders of the two parties are so much alike on this. George Bush and Nancy Pelosi now have reputations for valuing personal loyalty above all else.
It makes me miss Ronald Reagan more than ever. He could put up with blabbermouth skeptics and backstabbers in his own administration. But he was loyal to his own agenda.