You surely don't expect the MSM to ask such questions, do you? Tim Russert made no attempt to follow-up at the time and no Capitol Hill reporter has sought clarification, either. Why? Because it might embarrass Senator Reid, of course.
Meanwhile, we and the conservative talk show hosts and the rest of the extremist right wing won't ever be able to ask the question, as Reid wouldn't dare expose himself to such an audience.
I think you nailed it right there. Racism is so taboo that we can't even criticize it under certain painfully obvious circumstances. This was something other than simple racism, though.
I won't even give Reid the benefit of the doubt. Someone vetted by Congress, appointed by a president, with a long career in serving the country's values for the rule of law has already been through rigid scritiny. Reid is insulting a lot of other people besides CT when he says this, and so it's more than just racism. It says that just because Reid disagress with someone, he can classify that person as intellectually vapid.
How progressive is that?
The MSM serves a master other than the people's interests.