Republican Minority Turning Up The Heat In House Of Representatives

Challenged by strategists at last weekend's Baltimore retreat of House conservatives to strike more aggressively at Democratic leaders, GOP members yesterday launched attacks on several fronts in a bid to highlight ethical flaws and confusion among Democrats.

Winning the major headline was the stepped-up criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's demand for an Air Force jet, which the GOP has dubbed "Air Force Three," even as the White House defended her on the issue.

The House Republican Conference issued talking points, news stories, and a sample floor speech for members to read. The GOP also planned to launch a bid to expand voting rights on the House floor to representatives of all U.S. territories. Democrats support voting rights for Puerto Rico, so the GOP wants to get them on record giving voting rights in Congress to all territories, a move that could embarrass the Democratic leadership, which is likely to hear complaints about letting island lawmakers push for spending taxes in their territories and other issues that would affect the rest of the nation.

The vote was suggested by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at last weekend's retreat of the Republican Study Committee.

"Gingrich said that it would be a huge opportunity for Republicans to hold Democrats accountable for letting U.S. territories have the same rights as U.S. citizens," said one leadership official. And other members would consider calling for an investigation into allegations the House Democratic leadership pushed to have U.S. Capitol Police refrain from interfering with protesters at a recent antiwar rally who sprayed graffiti on the Capitol steps.

"We're getting our footing back," said the Republican leadership official.

GOP leaders had caught criticism early on from conservative and younger members of their conference, as well as conservatives like Gingrich, for not strongly attacking the Democratic leadership in the early going.

But the leadership is sticking to plan, a House Republican leadership aide says.

"The issues that the Democrats dealt with are anywhere from the coronation of the first female Democratic speaker to poll-tested issues," the aide said. "It was prudent... to pick battles wisely."

By Silla Brush and Paul Bedard