Waxman Clears a Hurdle in the Race for Control of Energy and Commerce

Daniel Friedman, my colleage at CongressDaily, reports that Henry Waxman has narrowly defeated John Dingell in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee vote over who should chair Energy and Commerce. The full Caucus vote is tomorrow, but this has to give Waxman some momentum.

In any case, this is a step closer to the reshaping of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, too. If Darrell Issa is the new ranking member, the Republicans are virtually guaranteed to be much more aggressive than they were previously. But if Waxman's gone, Issa may not clash as much with a new Democratic chairman. Lots to watch, clearly.