posted November 22, 2006 06:09 PM              

When Democrats were in the minority on Capitol Hill, Nancy Pelosi, the party's leader in the House of Representatives, liked to boast about how united they were.

But in the two weeks since capturing the House in the mid-term elections, Democrats are showing that unity may be easier in opposition.

The first sign of trouble came last week, when House Democrats met to select the leadership team to take over in January. Mrs Pelosi was easily elected Speaker, but there was a bruising battle for the number two job.

Mrs Pelosi was accused of using strong-arm tactics to see John Murtha, a loyal ally and outspoken critic of the Iraq war, elected majority leader. But he has faced ethics questions and the votes went to Steny Hoyer, Mrs Pelosi's longtime rival.

Mr Hoyer and Mrs Pelosi were at pains this week to show the tension was behind them. "We're talking about when we're going to meet again," she said as the two emerged from a meeting.

But the trouble didn't end there. Charles Rangel, incoming chairman of the tax-writing ways and means committee, this week said that he would reintroduce a proposal to restore the military draft. Mr Rangel said the draft – suspended in 1973 – would expose more middle-class Americans to the dangers of war, but Mrs Pelosi and other top Democrats quickly threw cold water on the idea.

Despite their victory at the polls, Democrats are also still sparring about strategy.

Before the election, Charles Schumer, leader of the Democrats' Senate campaign team, and Rahm Emanuel, his House counterpart, feuded publicly with Howard Dean, the former presidential candidate who is chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

While Mr Schumer and Mr Emanuel wanted resources sent to states where Democrats might gain seats this year, Mr Dean has focused on a longer-term strategy, trying to build up the party's presence in every state.

The election results appeared to vindicate Mr Dean and an uneasy truce seemed to emerge. But James Carville, a top strategist for former President Bill Clinton, put the battle back in the public eye. "I would describe his leadership as Rumsfeldian in its incompetence," he said of Mr Dean at a post-election forum.

He went on to complain that Mr Dean had borrowed millions for the party but did not spend it – money he said could have helped Democrats pick up another 10 seats in the House.

Meeting in usually Republican Wyoming, leaders of state Democratic parties backed Mr Dean, hailing his "50-state strategy that has been instrumental in helping to ensure state Democratic parties have the tools, training and resources needed to win elections up and down the ticket, in all parts of the country".

Democrats also face questions on their congressional strategy. Party leaders in the House and Senate have pledged quick action on ethics reform. But some lawmakers and watchdog groups complain that thepossible changes do not go far enough and should be expanded to include campaign finance reform and the creation of an independent ethics commission.

The Democrats' aggressive agenda may also be hampered by Republican leadership plans to push difficult decisions on government spending into next year.

With only a short lame-duck session left this year and divisions in their ranks, Republicans are not expected to complete their work on the appropriations measures, making them time-consuming top priorities for Democrats next year.

Mrs Pelosi also faces another challenge – who to name to lead the House intelligence committee.

Jane Harman, a Californian whose relationship with the incoming speaker is rocky, is now the top Democrat on the panel.

Mrs Pelosi has deflected questions about the post but she is thought to be considering passing over Mrs Harman, who has not been outspoken in her criticism of the war.

But Alcee Hastings, the next Democrat in line, was removed from his job as a federal judge amid an ethics probe, which could help push the chairman's gavel to Silvestre Reyes of Texas.

In spite of all those complications, Mrs Pelosi this week reiterated her commitment to prompt action on proposals at the centre of Democrats' campaign, including ethics reform, a rise in the federal minimum wage, cuts in student loan interest rates and the end to subsidies for big oil companies.

Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thoughts?