I’m not entirely certain why – Natural Resources is one of those committees where the basic goal of the Republicans is to inflict Maximum Fun on the Democrats; and when the GOP holds the House the Maximum Fun is very, very Maximum indeed – but I guess that there’s money in it?

Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., has yet to win the Senate seat vacated by now-Secretary of State John F. Kerry, but Reps. Peter A. Defazio and Raúl M. Grijalva are already fighting over who should replace him as the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.

The two Democratic lawmakers are arguing not only over legislative records and policy positions, but also over the weight that should be given to seniority.

Or something. Goodness knows that these two have the skinning knives out for this one. Defazio is calling* Grijalva a jumped-up Johnny-come-lately with no appreciation of anything except his own monstrous ego; Grijalva’s measured response is to call Defazio a crusty, pathetic nonentity with nothing to show his decades in Congress except for a limpet-like adhesion to Natural Resources. All done with the usual smiles that never reach the eyes and hands that are never quite where you can see them.

Me, I don’t want to quibble about the Congressmen’s claims and counterclaims: when it comes right down to it, they’re both right.

Via Instapundit.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: It would be hysterical, of course, if Gabriel Gomez made all of this speculation moot. Then it’d be a troika of bad Democratic blood, over at Natural Resources…

*This will be a free translation, which is what you call it when you want to merrily blacken other people’s names and attribute it to a third party.