In a November 29 article about incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) decision to pass over Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Alcee Hasting (D-FL) to chair the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the 110th Congress, The Washington Post identified Harman as a “strong-on-defense 'Blue Dog' Democrat,” drawing an implicit distinction with the average, presumably “weak-on-defense” Democrat. The Post's characterization echoes a practice previously noted by Media Matters for America of the media's labeling of those in favor of the Iraq invasion as "pro-military" or supportive of the troops, in implicit contrast with those who opposed it or now support withdrawal as somehow “anti-military” or not supportive of the troops.

In contrast with its characterization of Harman as “strong-on-defense,” the Post identified Hastings in the same paragraph simply as “an African-American.”