Speaker Pelosi on MoveOn's House dream team

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A liberal group working to win back the House for Democrats this November has an idea of who would be in charge if the minority party regains power. MoveOn.org's vision includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and putting Rep. John P. Murtha in charge of defense budget measures.

The group sent out a fundraising e-mail to supporters earlier this month outlining the kind of changes voters would see under a Democratic House majority.

"We can put progressive leaders in control of Congress when we break the Republican stranglehold on Congress. Hope is coming," the e-mail states.

The MoveOn.org e-mail, sent March 9, solicits donors and notes, "2006 is our best opportunity yet."

In addition to Mrs. Pelosi taking over from Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, the e-mail says Mr. Murtha would become chairman of the House subcommittee on defense appropriations. This would put the Pennsylvania Democrat, a decorated Vietnam veteran who has called for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, in charge of the war's budget, MoveOn.org points out.

There are currently 201 Democrats, 231 Republicans and one independent in the House. Two seats are vacant.

The minority party hopes to capitalize on record-low poll numbers that show Americans disapprove of the Bush White House and of congressional Republicans.

"From the war in Iraq to the Medicare prescription-drug bill and a number of issues in between, the American people understand now that they no longer can afford George Bush and the rubber-stamp Republican Congress," Mrs. Pelosi told reporters at a briefing last week.

The California Democrat said members of her party are "eager" to explain their agenda to voters if they were to capture the majority in Congress, and highlighted national security and energy independence as two key issues.

Rep. James P. Moran, Virginia Democrat, said he would like to see Mrs. Pelosi become speaker, but worries that Democrats will fall short of a majority come November.