In new Senate, the middle rules

"That's why we should all be wary of intraparty arguments that Democrats did well simply by 'fighting' or maximizing partisan differentiation from the Republicans, or that they can paste together a majority by insisting on ideological unity and ignoring parts of the country or parts of the party – e.g., 'red states' – that call for a more diverse and inclusive message," the paper states.

"Make no mistake: Our joy today will vanish if we can't produce for the American people," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York, who, as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, recruited and helped fund Democratic candidates in the 2006 election cycle.

"If we can keep our focus on the average American family, we will stay the majority for a generation," he added.

As a boxer in high school, Harry Reid – now in line to be majority leader of the US Senate in the 110th Congress – trained for the boxing ring by running up steep grades, with his coach following behind in his car.

"They knew that if they stumbled or fell and did not promptly get up and continue, there was a good chance they would be run over," says Senator Reid's coach and mentor, former Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan.

It's good practice for his next job: leading what its members like to call the world's greatest deliberative body. Two former majority leaders describe the job as "herding cats."

"The election is over. It's time for a change. It's time for open government. It's time for transparency. It's time for results," Reid said after Republicans conceded the seat in Virginia, giving Democrats their majority last week.

It's a job he didn't expect. When it was clear that then-majority leader Tom Daschle had lost his reelection bid in 2004, Reid summoned the stunned caucus to regroup. "We've got to talk about the future of our caucus," he said to Deputy Democratic leader Richard Durbin of Illinois, who credits Reid with "patching up some rifts in our caucus that had been around for a long time."

Known for his grasp of highly complex Senate procedure, Reid has always functioned better behind the scenes than in front of a camera. It was Reid who led the secret negotiations with Vermont Sen. James Jeffords over his defection from the GOP, which flipped control of the Senate to the Democrats in June 2001.

As minority leader after the 2004 elections, he often set majority leader Bill Frist back on his heels with surprise parliamentary moves. He famously called the Senate into "secret" session in November 2005 to demand that the Senate intelligence committee complete its stalled probe into whether the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq had been politically manipulated.

In the past two years, he has repeatedly derailed Republican initiatives, including holding Democrats in line to block a GOP bid to tie a permanent repeal of the estate tax to a bill raising the minimum wage.

He's also one of the few senators who still practices the art of the filibuster. On Nov. 19, 2003, Reid stunned Frist and Senate Republicans by holding the floor for nine straight hours in a bid to defend the right to filibuster judicial nominations. Sustained by judicious sips of water, he read from his book about his hometown, "Searchlight: The Camp That Didn't Fail."

Reid has also made some celebrated errors, such as publicly boasting that Democrats had "killed the Patriot Act."

While critics have tried to link Reid to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff – Reid accepted nearly $70,000 in contributions from Abramoff's tribal clients – so far, charges of wrongdoing haven't stuck. But a disclosure last month by the Associated Press that Reid had violated Senate rules by failing to report a 2001 land transfer that later netted him $700,000 prompted Reid to amend his financial disclosure statements.

• First elected to the Senate: 1986

• Senate Democratic leader (2005-present)

• Senate Democratic whip (1999-2004)

• Chairman of Nevada Gaming Commission (1977-1981)

• Nevada Lt. Gov. (1971-1975)

• BA, Utah State University

• JD, George Washington University

• Wife; five children; 15 grandchildren

Source: The Associated Press

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