The reason is that she and Jack Murtha have been genuine allies and friends for over twenty years. Vets have NOTHING to do with it. Their connection is DEEP, and predates GULF ONE. They've worked together CLOSELY over the years, on legislation and organizational matters, even though he is from the RIGHT wing of the party, and she from the far LEFT.
She also acknowledges that his stance on the war, as point man, enabled everyone else to have a touchstone to argue from. He led the charge, and she feels she owes him in that respect. Also, Jack Murtha had her back when she was vying for the MINORITY LEADER job. Her opponent? The guy she beat out for the post? Steny Hoyer. When Nancy won, Steny faded back to the WHIP job.
Lastly, Murtha was the one who stuck HIS beak in regarding the position. The Majority job usually goes straight to the WHIP--he is generally the heir apparent, absent a scandal. Steny had worked hard in the whip role, and he WAS in line for the majority job. But when it started to look like the Dems just might win, Murtha wrote a letter (only last June) saying if the Dems won the House, he wanted to be considered for the MAJORITY job. That is OUTSIDE the normal protocol--you usually don't try to horn in on the perogative of the Whip.
When Nancy endorsed him, she was very careful to note in her letter that it was written in RESPONSE to his specific request for an endorsement. You can ignore that nuance, but it is significant. It gives voting readers of the missive an excuse to IGNORE the endorsement.
It's been covered, it's not a secret, all this history. It's Google-able.
I don't agree with the final assessment in the below cited commentary--if Hoyer wins, so fucking what? If Murtha wins, she'll feel more at ease for the first few days, but that is about it. After a time, they'll all settle in even if Hoyer is the pick (after all, she's been the minority leader to his whip all this time, and no blood has been spilled), and she'll still have a huge workload no matter who gets it:
...But there's a major potential hitch. The House leadership votes that take place this Thursday on the Hill are conducted in secret. Members can tell Murtha or current Minority Whip and would-be Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland that they are on either man's team. Then they can go and vote secretly however they choose. Hoyer has already locked up the support of the Blue Dog (or socially and economically conservative) Democrats, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Hispanic Caucus.
Hill scuttlebutt holds that on a personal basis Pelosi is much closer to Murtha, although her relationship with centrist Democrat Hoyer dates back several decades to their tenures as congressional pages.
However, if Hoyer pulls off a victory, as some predict he may do Thursday, Pelosi begins her historic speakership mopping up an awfully messy faux pas. Then again, wasn't she the one who said last week that it takes a woman to clean House? http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/erbeblog/archive/061113/pelosi_lays_out_her_cards_with.htm I honestly think Hoyer has it sewn up. It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other, as how the Democratic caucuses choose to organize themselves to prosecute the will of the people is NOT high on my priority list. I'm more worried about their actual AGENDA to secure legislation that will actually benefit the American people, myself....