You Call This Leadership!?!?

Leadership elections are underway in Democrat caucus. Here is the line-up:

Senate Democrats: Mr. Reid majority leader; Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois majority whip; Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, campaign committee chairman caucus vice chairman; Sen. Patty Murray of Washington conference secretary; Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan steering committee; Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., Senate president pro tempore.

Not a conservative or moderate and only one Southern Dem (if you count W.Va.) among them: (So much for being conciliatory and bi-partisan). Durbin, Schumer and Murray are the three most rabidly partisan Dems in the Senate. Durbin compared American soldiers in Iraq to Hitler and Pol Pot. Schumer is chairman of the Democrat Senate Campaign Committee and recently his staff illegally obtained the Social Security number and credit report of Maryland Republican Senate candidate Michael Steele. Murray received more than $40,000 in contributions from out-of-state Indian tribes represented by lobbyist Jack Abramoff. What a line-up.

Senate Republicans:Sen. Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky.) is in line for majority leader. Trent Lott and Lamar Alexander declared their bids for minority whip. Heaven forefend. I guess if you are going to have one of these two in a leadership position, Whip is the one where you would do the least damage.

House Democrats: Nancy Pelosi is the presumptive Speaker with John Murtha and Steny Hoyer vying for majority leader. Rep. James Clyburn, (D-S.C.,) to be whip and Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, (D-Ill.,) who ran the House Democrats' campaign committee, is to be chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

House Republicans: Mike Pence of Indiana and John Shadegg of Arizona are the two conservative candidates for House Minority Leader and Whip, respectively. Jack Kingston (R.-Ga) and Dan Lungren (R-CA) and Marsha Blackburn (R, TN)are making a bid for House minority conference chair. Current Majority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and current Majority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri are looking to stay on in the face of their crushing losses at the polls.

RNC: Once again, the GOP heaves Blacks over the side in favor of Hispanics as former senator Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) will replace Ken Mehlman at the Republican National Committee. Martinez was elected to the Senate just two years ago. Martinez is expected to serve as a part-time party leader in a party that needs constant supervision. Martinez was the Senator who “inadvertently” passed a copy of the 'Terri Schiavo talking points memo' to Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. The memo from one of his staffers outlined how the Terri Schiavo case could benefit the Republican running against Sen. Bill Nelson in Nelson’s re-election bid. He also blamed one of his staffers for calling federal agents in the Elian Gonzalez affair “armed thugs”.

DNC: No word to offer on DNC changes.