Harry Reid
Shortly after President Bush said he would nominate conservative Judge Samuel Alito for a seat on the Supreme Court, Senate minority leader Harry Reid spoke to reporters at a Monitor-sponsored lunch about the nomination.
The Senate's top Democrat is a soft-spoken man with graying hair and a dry but ready wit. During the meeting with reporters, Reid was caustic about the president's motives in nominating Alito, sarcastic about the level of White House consultation regarding the latest nomination, clear in his message that Democrats would take their time weighing Alito's nomination, and scathing about the general state of the Bush presidency.
Reid is a man of some contradictions. At first glance, he appears too retiring to be a natural politician. But Reid won his first election at the age of 28 when he was elected to the Nevada State Assembly. Two years later, he became the youngest lieutenant governor in Nevada history. Reid was elected to the first of two terms in the US House of Representatives in 1982 and was first elected to the Senate in 1986. He has been minority leader since last November.
A lawyer by training, Reid was a skilled welterweight boxer as a young man. Thus the famous Reid quote: "I would always rather dance than fight but I know how to fight." Part of Reid's successful political dance has been the ability to climb the leadership ladder as a Democrat who opposes abortion rights, gun control, and gay marriage.
Reid told reporters that the White House nominated Judge Alito because "word is that they could not find a woman conservative enough to meet the demands of this radical right wing that this White House is so in tune with." As to the timing of the nomination, Reid said, the president "did it today to divert attention from the Karl Rove, Libby, DeLay scandals."
Reid's tongue was firmly in cheek when describing consultation with the White House about the Alito nomination.
"I really am impressed with the consultation of this nomination. Let me tell you what it consisted of. I was at the Rosa Parks event last night, which was a solemn occasion and very nice. [White House Chief of Staff] Andy Card walked up to me and said I am going to call you at 6:30 in the morning. I said, "That is too bad," because I knew by then they had already picked someone.... He didn't call me at 6:30 [but at] about quarter to 7. The conversation lasted maybe 10 seconds. He said, "You have already heard?" I said, yup, and that was it. That is the consultation. With [Judge John] Roberts we had consultation, with [White House Counsel Harriet] Miers we had consultation, with Alito zero, nothing."
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