D.C. Notes: Reid and Pelosi Urge Bush to Reject Troop Escalation

So the open letter to President Bush from Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi is out -- and it's a passionate argument against the escalation of troops in Iraq [read whole letter here].

Reid had given us a preview of the letter yesterday when we visited him in his office, which, as Senate tradition has it, is the same office he had as Minority Leader (not than anyone was complaining, especially when we stepped out onto the terrace with its stunning views of Capitol Hill). How do you feel, I asked him? "When I look in the mirror," he said, "I expect to see Robert Redford but I still see me." But, when he said it, he was beaming like Johnny Hooker, Redford's character from The Sting, right after he and Newman pull off the Big Score.

Reid then told us about the Senate Democratic retreat planned for today, during which former Majority Leader George Mitchell is going to deliver a talk about how the Democrats managed to achieve as much as they did during his time at the helm. The lunch speaker will be Bill Clinton, who had sat in the gallery listening to the speech Reid gave after officially becoming Majority Leader.

More on the day the Democrats took back control of Capitol Hill in a bit...