The House Minority Whip formed a group a few months back “to shape the Democratic strategy on national security issues and battle perceptions that the party is weak on defense,” reported Roll Call in September.
The rollout of the defense blueprint by Hoyer and his team comes just as some of the Caucus’ left-leaning Democrats are becoming ever more vocal about their opposition to the war in Iraq and heightening their call to bring U.S. forces home. Some of those Members will participate in an ad hoc hearing today to discuss ways to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. A coalition of liberal groups, meanwhile, will hold a major rally advocating troop withdrawal just across town…. The No. 2 House Democrat, a moderate who supported U.S. involvement in Iraq, said he believes Democrats lost the “national election because of national security” and because of a “lack of confidence of the American public.” He added that many voters had doubts that Kerry and the Democrats were committed to defeating terrorism.
Do the other members of the Hoyer group agree with Pelosi? Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff (CA) Jane Harman (CA) Ike Skelton (MO) John Spratt (SC) Ellen Tauscher (CA) Chet Edwards (TX) Dennis Cardoza (CA) Jim Cooper (TN) Norm Dicks (WA) Howard Berman (CA) Solomon Ortiz (TX), Silvestre Reyes (TX) Robert Andrews (NJ)
