Livingston ponders bid for speakership

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, R-La., is likely to decide in the next two days whether to run for House speaker and no longer is ruling out a head-to-head challenge to Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., a Republican source said today.

Meanwhile, an aide to House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said today that DeLay has pledged his support for Gingrich.

The GOP source said Livingston cannot simply wait to be drafted as speaker. "If he [Livingston] wants the brass ring, he has to tell us he wants the brass ring," the source said, adding that Livingston cannot wait for a groundswell of support to propel him to the speakership.

In the past, Livingston has said he wants to be speaker, but only if Gingrich steps down. Today, the source said, Livingston is being urged to run against Gingrich and may do so. "I know he has not made a decision yet," the source said, but added, "It is my sense that if Bob says within the next day or two he is running, Newt does not have the votes."

The source also said it is unlikely that Livingston would run on a ticket with others. "He's an alone guy," the source said.

Another GOP source said the leadership is "in the embryonic stages right now" of formulating a response to any challenges, which the source said would be "a proactive demonstration of leadership's ability to lead and formulate an agenda."

Also, some conservatives may be troubled by the idea of having Livingston as speaker, one conservative source said today, adding that Livingston is a "dealmaker" who helped pass the spending bill that conservatives opposed.

Livingston may have previewed his defense of how that bill was handled when he told the Baton Rouge Advocate this week that Gingrich and the White House handled negotiations. "If I'd had my way, I wouldn't have lost control," he said. "Well, I wouldn't say I lost control. I would say it was taken from me. A lot of decisions were made over my head."

Meanwhile, two key Oklahoma conservatives questioned the effectiveness of the House GOP leadership team. Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla., mentioned as a possible majority leader candidate, told the Tulsa World he is "flattered" by such talk; in the past he has dismissed such suggestions. Discussing Tuesday's elections, Largent said, "I think clearly ... we hit an iceberg," adding, "The question is do we retain the captains of the Titanic?"

Similarly, Rep. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., blamed GOP leaders. "I see it as a failure of leadership," he told the paper. And House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., said today leadership should be held accountable for the party's poor showing Tuesday. Hyde said he believes the leadership "ought to take the blame when things go wrong."

Asked whether Gingrich would be re-elected speaker, Hyde said, "I think he will, but that remains to be seen." Asked whether he would support Gingrich, Hyde merely responded, "Good morning," and left the podium.