House GOP moderates face pressure from leadership on both sides of the aisle in the fight over budget and spending reconciliation legislation.

House Democratic leadership and its allies have put together a list of 36 GOP moderates they are calling “the most gettable” to oppose the Republican-authored package of cuts. About 30 other Republicans are also Dem targets.

The Dems’ prime gettable list, obtained by this column, includes Charles Bass (N.H.), Judy Biggert (Ill.), Sherwood Boehlert (N.Y.), Jeb Bradley (N.H.), Ginny Brown-Waite (Fla.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va), Mike Castle (Del.), Jo Ann Emerson (Mo.), Phil English (Pa.), Mike Ferguson (N.J.), Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Vito Fossella (N.Y.), Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ.), Jim Gerlach (Pa.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Mark Green (Wis.), Gil Gutknecht (Minn.), Nancy Johnson (Conn.), Tim Johnson (Ill.), Walter Jones (N.C.), Sue Kelly (N.Y.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Steven LaTourette (Ohio), Jim Leach (Iowa), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), John McHugh (N.Y.), Jim Ramstad (Minn.), Jim Saxton (N.J.), Christopher Shays (Conn.), Joe Schwarz (Minn.), Rob Simmons (Conn.), Chris Smith (N.J.), Fred Upton (Mich.), James Walsh (N.Y), Curt Weldon (Pa.) and Heather Wilson (N.M.).

The GOP leadership is trying to bring the cuts package to the floor next week but is having difficulties with former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) whipping unofficially from the sidelines because of his indictment. The Republicans just may have the same list of “gettables.”

• The Reid that roared. In throwing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) a curve ball — invoking the heretofore-little-used Rule 21 to get a closed session to discuss the Iraq war, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) shed his folksy, meek image.

“I’ve always had a problem not having a senatorial voice that booms out across everyplace,” Reid said while guesting Monday at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast, in his Clark Kent persona. He wanted to stand to deliver his remarks — he ended up sitting — because “I heard once your ability to think is 10 percent better.”

This aw-shucks thing hides a steely side Reid displayed in the Rule 21 coup. At the breakfast, Reid was brutal on President Bush. “I think he has done a terrible job as president,” Reid said. “I think he is going to be known for being, perhaps, the Millard Fillmore of the last 100 years. I think he has a big hole to climb out of.”

• Hastert hustle. Catching up … in recent weeks House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) hosted a breakfast in Washington to benefit the Ohio First Education Fund, a group opposing a Nov. 8 referendum dealing with redistricting and other election related items. The Speaker also keynoted funders for Reps. Tom Price (R-Ga.) and David Hobson (R-Ohio.). Hastert picked up cash for his congressional fund during an overnight in Atlanta.

His latest entry in his new blog popped up yesterday, touting a provision for free speech in the blogosphere and complaining about the competition: “Democrats are busy saying no to every proposal out there.”

Since I could not envision Hastert thumbing his blog on a ’Berry or working a keyboard, I asked hisspokesman Ron Bonjean how the blog gets down. Hastert dictates, he said.

By the way, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is paying more attention to his new podcast than his blog. Obama averages about 10,000 downloads a day.

Sweet is the Washington bureau chief for the Chicago Sun-Times. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it