A Voice Against Presidential War-Making Now Leads a Chorus

The City of Brotherly Politics?

If the latest polls in the Philadelphia mayor's race are accurate, House Democrats won't be losing any members from their fragile majority.

In an unusual matchup, Reps. Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah are running against each other in the May 15 primary -- along with three other Democrats.

The freewheeling contest has been marked by ample mudslinging, but these two opponents have been quite civil to each other. Aides to the men say they have a cordial relationship and have at times even issued joint news releases dealing with their adjoining Philadelphia districts. "They understand that political realities go beyond headlines," said a spokesman for Brady. "In real politics, you work together."

The most recent Keystone Poll, released yesterday, shows Fattah and Brady at 13 percent and 11 percent, respectively. That puts them in third and fourth place in the field of five, distantly trailing the leader. Twenty-one percent of Democratic voters are still undecided.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary probably will be elected mayor in November.

The Verboten Verb: 'Impeach'

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a vocal opponent of the Iraq war, was pounced on by Republicans last week when he mentioned the politically forbidden "impeachment" word. His close friend Pelosi said last year that Democrats would not consider impeaching Bush.

But if Democrats are avoiding the word, Murtha's mail might make one wonder why. Of the more than 1,500 people who have written, only a couple of dozen criticized his remarks.

Murtha said in an interview with The Washington Post that he was not calling for Bush's removal on CBS's "Face the Nation" but was merely noting impeachment among other alternatives for pressuring the president to end the war. The others? Popular opinion, elections and purse strings.

All War All the Time

As part of the Democrats' political strategy to highlight the war at every turn, the non-legislative Senate Democratic Steering Committee has developed an antiwar showcase to engage people from different professions and different locales to talk about how the war has affected their lives.

America Speaks Out on the War in Iraq (fairly direct there) will launch today on the Hill featuring Anna Burger of the Service Employees International Union and Jim Winkler, an outspoken official of the 11 million-member United Methodist Church. The effort's launch will include Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who chairs the committee, which advocates the Democrats' agenda with outside groups.

Although there is no budget for this effort, a Senate leadership aide pointed out that given grass-roots antiwar efforts nationally, there should be no problem identifying people willing to come to Washington and speak against the war.

It's Official

Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) submitted his letter of resignation from the House yesterday effective July 1.

Meehan was recently named the new president of University of Massachusetts's Lowell campus, his alma mater. Of great interest to House Democrats is what Meehan will do with his $5 million war chest. As a matter of law, he could give it in total to the Democratic National Committee -- but most observers speculate he will convert it to a political action committee to keep his hand in the game. A spokesman said nothing has been decided yet.