Election Central has just obtained a letter that has been sent by the conservative Blue Dog Coalition of Dems to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging that she back Rep. Jane Harman to chair the Intelligence Committee.

As the panel's ranking Dem, Harman is the logical choice for the Intel committee. But Pelosi -- who failed today in her bid to install Jack Murtha as House Majority Leader over the Blue Dog-backed Steny Hoyer -- appears to have been pushing Rep. Alcee Hastings for the Intel gig. The letter -- which was voted on and given the necessary 2/3 vote to make it an official Blue Dog position -- suggests that Pelosi may be about to get hit by another revolt against her pick by rank-and-file House members. The letter reads:

As members of the Blue Dog Coalition, we are writing today to express our strong support for our colleague Congresswoman Jane Harman's appointment as Chair of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence...

We have given our full confidence to Congresswoman Harman to lead the Intelligence Committee and respectfully request that you do the same.

Full letter -- which you can view in our TPM Document Collection -- after the jump.

Here's the letter from the Blue Dog Coalition to Nancy Pelosi:

Note: This letter was voted on, in a roll-call vote, by the Blue Dog coalition on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The Motion was made by Rep. Melissa Bean. Rep. Lincoln Davis seconded the Motion. Speaking in favor were Reps. Bud Cramer and Leonard Boswell. The Motion obtained the necessary 2/3rds vote to become an official Blue Dog position.

November 16, 2006

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Leader Pelosi:

As members of the Blue Dog Coalition, we are writing today to express our strong support for our colleague Congresswoman Jane Harman's appointment as Chair of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Over the last four years, Congresswoman Harman has served as Ranking Member of the Intelligence Committee with skill and distinction. During her tenure, she has helped lead the bipartisan reorganization and reform of our intelligence community and has served as a strong voice for Congressional oversight of the Administration and its national security policies. Furthermore, both our Caucus and Party have counted on Congresswoman Harman to answer forcefully and credibly to partisan critics who have questioned Democrats' commitment to protecting our nation.

In short, she exemplifies all the reasons the American people instilled their trust in our Party on November 7th to protect them here and abroad. We believe she is supremely qualified for the job.

As you prepare to lead the 110th Congress, we recognize that you have much to consider when selecting committee chairs, especially one of such national importance as the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. We have given our full confidence to Congresswoman Harman to lead the Intelligence Committee and respectfully request that you do the same.

Update: The above is a copy of the draft of the letter. We've removed the signatories on the draft pending our post of the final PDF of the letter, and will have the final signatories posted soon.

Late update: The final letter, with final signatories, is now here in our TPM Document Collection.