With leadership like Harry Reid, who needs Republicans?

[Beelzebud]

He thinks the surge is a good idea?

Remind me why having him as our majority leader is a good thing?

[davidwparker]

1. I've never been impressed by him. He likes to keep his powder dry.

[leftchick]

2. dry and in the cupboard

locked and sealed. :(

[Redstone]

3. That's indeed not an encouraging thing to hear.

Is there ANYONE in Washington who has ANY fucking sense at all?

Redstone

[babylonsister]

7. Durbin. Here's a very short article, and no one else is reporting this that I

can find on Google.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=5826333

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says don't send more troops to Iraq


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin says sending more soldiers to Iraq after the holidays would further drain an already depleted military.
Durbin says that the majority of U-S military units aren't geared up for combat, meaning that some troops would have to be reactivated.

That would break a deal with soldiers who've already put in time.

Durbin says that Iraqi military needs to step up and protect its own nation.

He spoke to reporters today at his home in Springfield.

(Thanks Ryan Hermes, IRN)

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Redstone]

8. Thank you. I'm getting more than a little sick of this "surge" crap that everyone

seems to be signing on to.

Redstone

[LittleClarkie]

4. Linkage?

Please.

[KamaAina]

6. Major LBN discussion here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2656112&mesg_id=2656112

Make sure your asbestos suit is nice and snug!

[OzarkDem]

5. I can't

I've never considered him a good leader, ever. He has the occasional flash of courage and brains, but he's mediocre at best.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

9. I Find His Support Of It Perfectly Acceptable.

He supported it in the proper ways; i.e. apprehensively.

He made it astoundingly clear that his support is only for a very short term deployment, and that any longer term deployment is unacceptable. He is supporting it in the ways that the ISG deemed appropriate, and I'm perplexed as to why some are taking him to such task over this. I understand his logic completely.

I'm actually quite thankful that he made such a strong statement regarding the necessity of it being short term. To me that signaled strength and conviction that he will be playing hardball in the coming year, and he's only going to give them very little rope.

[Kelly Rupert]

10. I trust his leadership, actually.

He, in my mind, is the reason why the 109th was a do-nothing Congress. He blocked the GOP left and right. Remember Social Security? Bush's Mandate? Everything? Harry Reid, with only 45 votes in his column, stopped the Republican machine with a dizzying array of parliamentary tricks. And I think he's doing the right thing here, too.

He's supporting this apprehensively and cautiously. If it works (and it probably won't), then he won't suffer any backlash. When it fails, he'll have a stronger moral authority to take the lead in planning. Since he showed a spirit of bipartisanship in tentative support of the surge--and at the same time showed foresight in his caution and demand that it be temporary--he (and the Democrats) would be in strong position to become the credible voices in Iraq.

Keep in mind that while America doesn't trust Bush on Iraq one minute--and vastly prefer us to the Republicans--they don't trust us a whole hell of a lot more. They like us by comparison, but our base support on Iraq is well under 50. I like his positioning here, and think that it'll position us better to actually get a withdrawal.

We're the majority party now. We have to act like it. That means compromising and playing the game, unfortunately.

[npincus]

11. i'll say, poster boy for 'Spineless Democrat"

didn't he get the message on Nov. 7?

[UTUSN]

12. Here we go n/t

[babylonsister]

13. ...

[Kelly Rupert]

14. The endless Cycle of Reid.

1. Harry Reid is a sellout whore!
2. Who saw that coming? God I love having Harry!
3. Harry Reid is a sellout whore!
4. Who saw that coming? Harry kicks ass!