So it won't be Harman or Hastings

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Nancy Pelosi has done well to keep Alcee Hastings, the impeached and convicted former judge, out of the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee. But the position won't go to Jane Harman, the ranking Democrat, either -- according to the Post. Which is a shame, even if my support for her had been getting softer.

Or perhaps it's not really a shame at all.

Although I stand by my initial support for Harman, and although she could have been appointed without much controversy, it was clear that Pelosi didn't want to appoint her and was looking elsewhere. And that, at first, meant Hastings, a wildly inappropriate candidate but one backed by the powerful Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). And Harman still had her influential supporters, including the moderate-conservative Blue Dog Coalition. Again, Pelosi could have appointed her regardless, but the appointment had already become a high-profile issue with significant media attention and a caucus divided by two rival candidacies. And that meant that neither Harman nor Hastings could be appointed without controversy. And that now means that a compromise candidate -- and perhaps a very good one -- can be selected. It is the only way to resolve what has become an unfortunate problem.

The Post mentions as possible candidates Silvestre Reyes, Norman Dicks, and Sanford Bishop. All three make sense, but the position should go to Rush Holt.

(For more, see Greenwald.)