Intra-Party Battles Start

So far, some may be calling for Nancy Pelosi to step down as Speaker but no one has stepped forward to challenge her. No problem with Pelosi here as her real sin seems to be that she was effective. Reps. Jim Clyburn and Steny Hoyer will face off for the post of Minority Whip, though I can't find coverage of this contest in the Post.

Meanwhile, the war of all against all commences in the Republican Party. Rep. Michelle Bachman's bid for serious power in the Republican Party is starting to grate on the party establishment. Instead, they plan to go for tokenism by appointing the Palin-junior who defeated Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin in South Dakota. Meanwhile, Palin is getting blame for the Republican failure to win the Senate. And they haven't even taken power yet.