The first rule of Steering Committee is . . .

By Ben Geman - 11/30/10 09:15 PM ET

. . . that you don’t talk about it on-the-record if you’re in GOP leadership.

House Republican leadership said nothing Tuesday evening about whether the Steering Committee will address the question of term-limit waivers for committee chairmanships head-on.

“I don’t like to talk about what goes on in Steering Committee,” said incoming Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) when asked about the issue. McCarthy used the same phrase twice when asked about Steering Committee matters.

His comment is reminiscent of the classic 1999 film Fight Club, in which Tyler Durden (played by Brad Pitt) famously proclaims, “The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club!”

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) is seeking to overcome House GOP rules – which limit members to three two-year terms in top committee jobs – in his bid to lead the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee in the next Congress.

Barton said after addressing the steering group Tuesday that he believed it would vote for its favored candidate, and if he wins, then the waiver is granted automatically.

Speaker-elect John Boehner (R-Ohio) simply remained silent in response to a question from The Hill on the matter.

The Steering Committee is vetting candidates for top committee slots, and is planning to make decisions next week.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who heads the GOP’s Majority Transition Team, was the most forthcoming after the Steering Committee meeting broke up in the Capitol Tuesday evening.

“That is going to be a decision for the Steering Committee and the Steering Committee has always reserved the right to grant a waiver,” he said when asked about the prospect of a waiver for Barton.

But he added: “I am not going to talk about what I am going to do, or what others are going to talk about in Steering Committee.”

Barton served one term as Energy and Commerce Committee chairman before Democrats reclaimed the House in the 2006 elections, and has been the ranking Republican on the panel since then. He contends that the House GOP rules are ambiguous and should not bar him from another stint as chairman when Republicans take over next year.

Asked about the prospect that Barton would not need a waiver at all, Walden replied, “As a Steering Committee we have not had that discussion yet.”

Other GOP candidates for committee chairmanships would also need relief from the term-limit rule, including Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), who wants another stint as Appropriations Committee chief.