Obey would head Appropriations if Dems win

A Reuters article points out Wisconsin's own Congressman Dave Obey could have significant influence in Congress after tomorrow's election. If the Democrats take back the House of Representatives in tomorrow's election, Obey would become Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee which has jurisdiction over the federal budget. He represents Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in the northwestern part of the state.

A Democratic takeover of the U.S. Congress would put two of the most outspoken critics of the Iraq war in charge of dispensing the money President George W. Bush will seek for combat, adding pressure for a new approach to the increasingly unpopular war.

In the House of Representatives, Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin would rise to Appropriations Committee chairman if Democrats win this week. At every opportunity, the scrappy Obey reminds fellow lawmakers of his opposition to the Iraq war, calling it the "dumbest war since the War of 1812."

"David Obey can be a cantankerous fellow. I don't think he'd be in the business of giving the president an easy time," said Brookings Institution senior fellow Stephen Hess.