Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) is still a liar, and if he wanted to protect himself and his party from that shame, he ought to stay away from television cameras.
Alas, Reid was the lone guest on NBC’s Meet the Press [transcript], and moderator David Gregory was not shy about the questions he asked. But I had to uncover the most brazen lie myself.
Gregory asked Reid about charges reported at Politico.com this morning that he had called Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to make known that he would not accept Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., Representative Danny Davis, or Illinois Senate President Emil Jones to fill the vacant Obama seat. Those men are all black. Instead, Reid asked for either Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, a Thai-American, or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who is white.
Reid countered:
I have–anyone that suggests there’s any racial bias in this instance doesn’t realize I went to the Clark County district attorney’s office to find a nobody — people thought was a nobody – to become a federal judge, Johnnie Rawlinson. She was a great judge. She’s now on the Ninth Circuit. I did that myself. So anyone to suggest anything racial is part of the Blagojevich spin to take away from the corruption that’s involved his office in Illinois.
Harry Reid is still a liar.
According to Reid’s hometown Las Vegas Review-Journal, that “nobody” African American woman was not Reid’s first choice for that judgeship (U.S. District Court for Nevada). His actual first choice was U.S. Attorney Kathryn Landreth, a white woman, who asked that her name be withdrawn so she could do other things.
Harry Reid did not boldly march down to a district attorney’s office and select an African American with no reputation to be a federal judge because he felt it was the noble and just thing to do; rather, Rawlinson’s name came up after Reid’s first choice turned him down.
In this morning’s Politico.com article, a spokesman for Roland Burris, Blago’s designated Obama replacement, had this to say:
“It’s interesting that all those who are viable [to Reid for the Obama seat] are white women and the ones who are unacceptable are black men,” Prince Riley, a senior consultant to Burris, told Politico.
And he hadn’t heard Reid’s Rawlinson claim.
On MTP, Reid reacted to Riley’s statement in this manner:
I have no idea who Prince Riley is. But I do know that I’ve served in the United States Senate with two outstanding senators, Carol Moseley Braun and Barack Obama, both African-Americans from the state of Illinois.
This story does not charge Harry Reid with racism; rather, it reflects Blago being Blago-in-trouble. This point is that Harry Reid lied about Judge Rawlinson. And he called her a nobody. (We can say what we will about the Ninth Circuit, but they go to great lengths to assure the country loudly that they are not “nobodies.”)
Harry Reid is still a liar.
Carol Moseley Braun
DerKrieger Sunday, January 4th at 2:09PM EST (link)was in no way an “outstanding senator”. This claim itself makes Reid a liar.
“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” - Thomas Jefferson
“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence (OBAMACARE – mine), the money of their constituents.” – James Madison
It could also be argued that since
Mark Kilmer Sunday, January 4th at 2:19PM EST (link)Obama served and participated in the Senate for only two years, he could not be rated “oustanding.”
He did?
NightTwister Sunday, January 4th at 2:42PM EST (link)Who knew?
Get Connected in Colorado.
Hahahaha!
cookcountyconservative Sunday, January 4th at 5:21PM EST (link)Nobody in Illinois could point to a single accomplishment of the soon-to-be-sworn-in-leader-of-the-free-world on behalf of his State whilst in Office. In fact, “Present” would be pushing it. His only accomplishment is since taking office is running for office.
At these point I’d be just fine with one Senator representing me, thank you very much. Dick Turbin is more than any state in this union should have to take! But I’m sure all of the fine citizens of the State of Illinois are very appreciative of Senator Reid’s good advice to our Governor.
I mean really, just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, Harry Reid turns up a wire-tap and then goes on Meet The Depressed to basically say “Why I’m not a racist, I have lot’s of black friends.” OK, I guess I’ll take his word for it.
So Harry Reid
itrytobenice Sunday, January 4th at 2:46PM EST (link)just walked right up to a county DA office and started sorting through a bunch of nobodies and desk jockeys, found a nobody black woman and picked her to be a Federal judge.
And we are supposed to trust him to preside over the Senate of the United STates? WTH?!?!?!?!
The problem with America is stupidity. I’m not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity, but why don’t we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
Isn't it funny watching these guys say such stupid things?
NightTwister Sunday, January 4th at 2:50PM EST (link)Isn’t it even funnier to watch the interviewer fail to call them on it?
There are times when I feel completely inadequate as a journalist. Yet there are times like this when I feel overqualified.
Get Connected in Colorado.
I think Gregory just hadn't prepared adquately
Mark Kilmer Sunday, January 4th at 2:56PM EST (link)for Reid and what assertions to expect. Russert no doubt would have been ready, but remember that David is still knew to this job. And he did ask a ton of questions to make Reid define himself on the matter of seating Burris.
Of course, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt unless or until he proves that he’s the partisan weasel many of use thought he was when he was with the White House.
Reid is also a traitor, crook and scumbag.
Tbone Sunday, January 4th at 3:00PM EST (link)Lying is actually one of his better qualities.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
Imagine if . .. .
Bourbeau Sunday, January 4th at 3:00PM EST (link)Imagine if it was Mitch McConnell who had made this phone call and what the questions would be, not to mention the firestorm. There’s nothing in this story that should surprise anyone; neither the comments; the source of the comments; nor the obvious racial bias of the source. This is Harry Reid; one of, if not, the most devisive and dishonest Majority Leaders of the Senate in some time. I’m genuinely enjoying how Mr. Obama’s transition period is being roiled by the likes of Blago, Rahm, Reid, Burris and Richardson - one after the other, day after day, pure Democrat theater. What’s unfortunate is, with all these distractions, Mr. Obama is unable to collect his thoughts about the Isaraeli/Hamas conflict, But why worry about geopolitics when you have racial infighting within your administration, within your party, and within your state.
What will tomorrow bring??
bobojake Sunday, January 4th at 3:11PM EST (link)The chickens are coming home to roost!! This is a whole lot more exciting then the media programmed elections was. The media chose peeO and McCain the people didn’t. Now peeO choices will start catching up to him and the media won’t be able to stop the fallout. Even ol harry will fall under de bus. It a great time to live in a free USA
Dick C
rick554 Sunday, January 4th at 3:38PM EST (link)God, dont ya just love Dick Cheny!!! I cant WAIT to read the memoirs.
Rick554
Harry-the constipated weasel-Reid
bosslowrider Sunday, January 4th at 4:27PM EST (link)never ceases to amaze me.
Appointing anybody to the 9th CIRCUS court of appeals ain’t no big thing.
The only thing outstanding about BHO is the fact he’s played with crap his entire adult life and didn’t get any on him.
Reid is a typical democrat.
Rod_Patrick Sunday, January 4th at 6:06PM EST (link)Democrats think that a politician is a movie star:
1. playing a lackluster screen role in a B-movie,
2. acting like a paragon of virtue in front of a gullible public,
3. demanding his/her right to privacy and freedom of speech by crying out foul whenever the skeleton on his/her closet is revealed or investigated,
4. thinking of his/her party as a movie outfit which will back him up in case of scandal
5. thinking of his/her fellow democrats as elite group of human beings
6. sincerely believing that his crappy work as a work of art
7. asking high salary/pay per project without being noticed by the IRS.
In short: delusional, corrupt politician.
Actually Rod, Reid is a caricature of the
kyle8 Sunday, January 4th at 6:27PM EST (link)Democrats of old. Sure he is just as wicked, but he lacks the brainpower of a Lyndon Johnson, or even a Slick Willie.
“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle
I hear yah, Kyle.
Rod_Patrick Monday, January 5th at 2:57AM EST (link)And I will remember it.
Duckworth wouldnt be a shoo-in winner in 10
Illinicon Sunday, January 4th at 10:34PM EST (link)if she would have been nominated. Remeber she lost her house race in 06 in a swing district (Hyde’s old and currently Roskham’s) in a year where Democrats in the state won each of counstiutional executive offices by 10 or more points and won enough state senate races to a filibuster proof majority. She likely would have won given how Democratic the state, but given her history in electoral politics it was far from a slam dunk.
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