WASHINGTON - -House Republicans passed over Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett of Maryland yesterday in choosing a new top Republican for the Armed Services Committee.
The powerful post of ranking Republican went to Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon of California, a more junior member of the panel.
He replaces Rep. John M. McHugh of New York, who was selected by President Barack Obama to be the next Army secretary.
The closed-door decision was a vote of no confidence in Bartlett by the Republican leadership, which usually follows seniority in assigning key positions.
Bartlett reacted bitterly to the defeat.
"Not for the first time, big-state and big-money politics trumped experience, independent judgment and dedication to the legislative work of a committee," he said in a statement.
Bartlett's complaint about "big money" was a reference to Minority Leader John A. Boehner's history of promoting junior members of the House who have raised more money for the party over those with greater seniority, said Lisa Wright, a Bartlett aide.
A Boehner spokesman declined to comment.
In a statement, Boehner praised McKeon "as one of the House's most important voices on behalf of our men and women in uniform." The Republican leader also thanked Bartlett and said he looked forward to his "continued leadership on the Armed Services Committee and service on behalf of our troops."
Bartlett, regarded as eccentric by colleagues, has not always followed his party on high-profile issues. He was one of seven Republicans to oppose a 2006 measure supported by the Bush administration and approved by the Republican-led Congress that allows the United States to suspend the right of habeas corpus for those designated as enemy combatants in the war on terror.
In terms of seniority, the congressman from Frederick was first in line for the committee post, a high-profile perch for a member of the opposition party.
Bartlett expressed "great confidence" last week that "Boehner and my other colleagues will recognize the importance of ensuring continuity and pay close attention to my 17 years on the House Armed Services Committee and my leadership the last six and a half years, as chairman or ranking member of the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee and the Air and Land Subcommittee."
Rep. William M. "Mac" Thornberry of Texas also competed for the job. He and McKeon each have 14 years of service on the committee.
The three men delivered pitches yesterday afternoon at a closed session of the 27-member House Republican Steering Committee, effectively controlled by Boehner.
Bartlett, 83, is Maryland's oldest member of Congress and the only Republican. First elected in 1992, he is expected to have little trouble fending off a Democratic challenge next year in his district, which stretches from northern Harford and Baltimore counties to the West Virginia line.
