Harry Reid Channels Harry Truman

The blogs have been giving Senate Minority leader Harry Reid some semi-reluctant props over the last few weeks (I tipped my hat to his "birth tax" remark after the SOTU address). Many who've kept waiting for the Dems to start fighting back for a change have taken note of his jabs at the White House. I came across this tidbit at DailyKos, but I'll link to the CNN article. Reid is not only sounding pretty good, but he's looking pretty good:

Angered by Republican criticism, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday suggested President Bush's calls for unity are proving "absolutely false."

"We know when he came here, he said he wanted to be a uniter, not a divider," Reid told reporters on Capitol Hill, referring to comments Bush made in the 2000 presidential campaign.

"I'm beginning to think that those statements are just absolutely false."

Reid, a Nevada Democrat, made his comments in response to a document -- billed as a "research briefing" -- the Republican National Committee began distributing this week.

The document paints Reid as an "obstructionist" bent on blocking judicial nominees and raising taxes.

Republicans used a similar campaign against Reid's predecessor, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, who was voted out of office last November. Recommended reading-- especially for being a rare instance of press honesty.
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Now, this is a fine example of how the press should operate. That last sentence is a statement of fact, and it clearly states that the GOP is 100% committed "Gingrichpolitik"-- taking down your opponent using any means, true or false.

And Reid is giving 'em both barrels. I love it. It was the picture of Reid in the article that put Truman in my mind. And hey, maybe he even looks a little..... presidential. That isn't a statement of my stance on Reid. Just something that crossed my mind.
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In other news, it's looking like Dean is the man for the chairmanship of the DNC. Personally, I think that the fears of right-leaning Dems are unfounded-- and that it's time for the public at large to have a say in policy-making. Mr. Nice Donkey will continue to lose for the next four years (think Gingrichpolitik).

John Kerry is still putting some serious effort into keeping the public mobilized in his favor. He's released several e-mail missives lately casting himself as a committed populist and fighter. After the campaign, I'm thinking that he has a long way to go in demonstrating that he's worthy of a second nomination. He's doing his best to stay in the good graces of the much-hyped "grassroots" Democrats, but without some making some serious waves in the Senate, he'll face an uphill battle for the nomination he obviously covets.

And for those six or seven of you who actually follow the blog, sorry I've been lax lately. But mid-weeks are going to be busy for the next few months. I'm already behind, and I'll try to catch up over the next day or two. Stay tuned, true believers.