Reid Rebuffs Idea Of Senate Majority Leader Clinton

Sen. Harry Reid on Monday brushed off the notion that he has any plans to cede his Majority Leader title once Hillary Clinton returns to the Senate full-time.

Asked by The Huffington Post about reports that Clinton may be eyeing Reid's spot if (as seems likely) her presidential run is unsuccessful, the Nevada senator at first offered some humble niceties.

"I do this job the best I can, with the full support of my senators," he said during a small breakfast with reporters. "I feel very comfortable with where I've gotten."

But Reid, the former amateur boxer, couldn't help finishing with a gentle jab.

"Keep in mind also, a senator coming back who's run for president is not a very unique one," Reid said to laughter. "Senator John Kerry ran, he's back. Chris Dodd ran, he's back. Joe Biden ran, he's back."

Those senators have been plenty busy since returning from the campaign trail, Reid added, and "Senator Clinton has some very fine committee assignments."

Comments

[Dingoangst]

Not much to say here, everyone has a whole bunch of penis/testicle jokes. Who has'em, who doesn't. Anybody but Sen. Harry Reid will do. Maybe... Julia Sweeney's Pat from SNL. She's not a Senator, but the suspense would be fun. We know what Reid's lacking...­courage.

[Tyrione]

Reid's days are numbered as Majority leader, period.

Whether it's Clinton or someone else, Reid is done. He's got no leverage.

[Ranta]

If Obama wants to balance the ticket with a woman, Claire McCaskill or Kathleen Sebelius would be more aligned to his way of thinking.

[JackND]

Sebelius is probably better...s­he has executive experience

[skepticalindenver]

Sebelius lacks the charisma needed for national politics, and that is a requirement in today's media environment (like it or not). I think they floated her out for a test run giving the rebutal to the State of The Union.....­she didn't impress many. While she may make a fine govenor, she doesn't seem to have the right stuff for VP. As for McCaskill, I agree adding her to the ticket doesn't add much and she will be needed in the senate. I think he would be wise to pick a govenor or former govenor, but there will rpobably be a better choice somewhere.

[eej]

It would be wrong to choose a woman for the sake of choosing a woman. The presidency and vice presidency are no place for affirmative action.

It's enough not to disqualify someone for the race or gender, and to make sure they are given an equal chance.

[Aleka4]

I totally agree.

I think he needs to choose someone who will comfort people- I think black man white woman is too much change for many people. He needs an older white guy with a non foreign name in order to sooth the people still having xenophobic reactions.

[Ranta]

Hillary dug her own grave the day she started embracing McCain, Murdock, Richard Mellon Scaife et.al.
She's DLC corporate from day one. Running a campaign like Rove would have did didn't help her either.
The "working poor" have a lot more in common with Obama and I hope they will eventually be able to see it. Obama needs to go after them once the Hilley is out of the way.

[avepa]

Name one politician who do/did not have any baggage. Keep on being a blindfollower and you'll reap the unexpected. Go to
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/genera_evelyn_p_080512_curtain_time_for_bar.htm
READ AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IS IN STORE FOR YOU THEN IT'S TOO LATE TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK.

[JohnTalbutt]

And what does that have to do with anything? Obama will cut through that B.S. like Sherman through Georgia.

[Actionmac]

Please people stop trying to GIVE this woman a reward, she has NOT earned anything. Placating her because she lost the nomination is equivalent to giving bush four more years for his what he did for the economy.

Let her finish her run and she and bubba can fade to OBLIVION.

[mlaiuppa]

Obama is going to be nominating three supreme court justices in his first term.

Maybe he can bribe Hillary by making her one of the nominees. That's a safe place to put her. She's unlikely to resign to run for president in 2012.

[eej]

I don't think Hillary would be satisfied with that. She would not be the first female Supreme Court justice. It just isn't sexy enough for her.

[qdog112]

But she'd have it for life and her opinion sure would matter.

[skepticalindenver]

Not only that, but could someone tell me where she might have gotten the experiance needed for a SCOTUS nomination? Honestly, her resume was a little on the light side to run for the Senate, and people keep floating thses rediculous ideas to elevate her stature

[disgustedbyitall]

Or a loud enough mike for her monotone.

[pilgrim7]

Justice Clinton. Isn't that an oxymoron?

[WaspMan]

Normally, we nominate judges to sit on the SCOTUS. Hillary's a lawyer, but has never held a judgeship, and she's not a constitutional lawyer.

[useyourbrain]

You don't have to be a lawyer to be on the Supreme Court.

[milo9]

Whoever, but Reid has got to go! Is the Leadership a lifetime post? WTF?

[Sylmason]

I second that emotion.

[Actionmac]

"Is the Leadership a lifetime post?" the clintons think so

[JFaye]

There was a tiredness I recall feeling when Bill Clinton finally left the White House ... and I liked President Clinton. Aside from his lack of personal discipline and weak character which made it too easy for the Republicans to constantly go after him; he performed well (other than the mess with NAFTA too).

Today, an identical tiredness for anything Clinton is what I feel. They remind me of friends you like, however the intensity of their approach and relentless "nagging" wears you down ... I guess they fall under toxic relationships.

Senator Reid may soon have not just a 66 percent majority in the Senate, but a President who embodies leadership and resonates unity ... giving us all a Congress ready to put our country back on track.

[CaptainSunshine]

If we set aside the requirements of integrity and truthfulness, we can nominate her to the Supreme Court.

[progressivepam]

Wait a second... there are requirements of integrity and truthfulness on the Supreme Court?!?! Who knew!

[hugs4u]

Harry Ried does need to be replaced for his lack of guts to get the troops home from Iraq. But Hillary is not the person to replace him.

[Melissa]

Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi , head of a do nothing Congress.

[chronic]

As much as I am sick of Reid and Pelosi, there is nothing they can do with this evenly split congress.

Democrats need a SUPER majority to get things moving forward in America.


* VOTE DEMOCRATIC 08 *

[eej]

We did not give them a veto-proof majority and that's that.

Still I wish the two of them had fought a little harder. I do believe Pelosi was threatened. You could see her shrink from fighter to frightened almost overnight.

[lizzy1]

I agree, Reid needs to go. Hillary is passive-aggressive and considering how divisive she is, she would be a disaster as majority leader. Chuck Schumer might be good.

[qwr]

Chuck Schumer, the Senator who singlehandedly gave Mukasey the AG job. Schumer bet his reputation on Mukasey, and he lost. I don't know why we refuse to hold our pols accountable.

[progressivepam]

Russ Feingold, Carl Levin, Barbara Boxer... to name a few good ones. No more DLC!

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Seems it would be good to have a real leader in the Senate majority post. Finally a good idea from Reid, and he doesn't support it!

[lornejl]

Shhhhhhhhh ! Quiet everyone, I think Reid just said something.­....

[RobertAndropolis]

This entire protracted primary, I have been waiting to hear just what Senator Clinton has done to justify her being considered for the Senate Majority post. I still don't know what the hell she meant by her "thirty-five years of experience­." Experience doing what? Everything she came up with was either embellished or an outright lie.

[ohiodem250]

Maybe she'd be able to push legislation through the Senate making it illegal to burn state flags. Or perhaps she could could ram legislation through the upper house making it legal for public servants to take any of the tax-paid furniture from their offices when they leave.

[moda31]

why do people keep acting as though any particular job is owed to sen. clinton? of course harry reid isn't going to be particularly enthused by the idea of forking over his job.