Inside Report: Harry the Great (Reid, Not Frist, Runs Senate)

Creator's Syndicate ^ | April 14, 2006 | Robert Novak

[misterrob]

Some Republican members of Congress have reported back from Easter recess to say that their constituents are less outraged by leaky borders than the possible loss of immigrant workers, some from their own households.

Don't that just beat all.....

[stm]

"The talk of Washington during the first week of the congressional Easter recess was how Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has seized control of the Senate despite a 10-seat advantage by the Republicans"

Horse hockey.

[misterrob]

No, it isn't. Frist has proven himself ineffectual as a leader. He's going to try and run for President by appealing to the evangelicals. If they vote for him in any major way you can kiss the Republican party good-bye

[God luvs America]

this surprises you???

who plays like they have the advantage? The Republicans or the rats???

the Republicans in charge today tiptoe around, afraid to wrankle feathers....

as much as I hated to see Delay decide not to run it may be for the best- he's not afraid to openly kick-some-azz....notice how quickly he spoke out and had cynthia mckinney backtracking...

has First or anyone else ever done anything like that??

not even close...

[sgtbono2002]

****Some Republican members of Congress have reported back from Easter recess to say that their constituents are less outraged by leaky borders than the possible loss of immigrant workers, some from their own households.******

I live just outside Washington and it isnt Easter yet, and they are reporting back? These Senators have been talking to their constituents who have servants? Illegal servants? Maybe they should try talking to the less rich amongst us.

Harry Reid runnng the Senate? No surprise there. Frist wouldnt say crap if he had a mouthful. Spectre is a Rino Pos and the rest of the republicans are nothing to brag on either.

As for Hillary I never believed she actually talked with Eleonor Roosevelt and I am sure Jesus Christ never spoke with her and gave an opinion on the immigration bill.

[Paladin2]

Frist will not win POTUS in '08. NO Senators as president (unless they have been re-elected governors).

[speekinout]

Frist has proven himself ineffectual as a leader.

Fer shur! His political career should be over.
But he seems to be a good doctor, and I approve of his trips to Africa. That's what his future should be.

[Cheburashka]

No, it isn't. Frist has proven himself ineffectual as a leader.
---
Oh, yeah. Reid proved himself a master tactician by the way he held his party together in support of filibuster of the Alito Nomination. A textbook for future generations of legislative leaders. Yeah, right.
Frist has to keep at least 50 of 54 egomaniacs pointed in the same direction, when all they really want to do is preen for the television cameras.
Most of the people who knock Frist believe that he has some magic power to demand strict obedience from every Republican, but doesn't use it.
Most of these people would have trouble commanding a majority on a local school board.
But hey, as the old saying goes, opinions are like bellybuttons. Everybody has one.

[acapesket]

I am thinking that these A-holes will have their hands full when they get back to DC! I wouldn't waste my precious Easter week going to one of my Rep's events, whattajoke!
I did shoot off about 50-100 faxes and phone calls and plan on doing it again on Monday.
Of course, I live in Assachusetts ! I don't hink Jawwnny Boy showed and The Swimmah did about 10 minutes in town! John Tierney is such a tool of these two that I have better things to do..like getting the flu and going to a funeral.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I wish the Republicans had a LBJ-styled leader in the Senate. The man was a badass and not afraid to crack heads, from what I know of him. There's no one EVEN CLOSE to LBJ in the Senate now.

Reid is a doddering clown and Frist isn't bold. They're all a bunch of bores, for the most part.

[ItsForTheChildren]

Horse hockey, hell. I've seen it with my own eyes on C-SPAN. I saw Harry Reid whine he that wouldn't allow the majority to vote on amendments to the immigration bill because the Republicans wouldn't let them bring amendments forward at other times. Pete Domenici was the only one with balls enough to speak the truth that day. Frist and Specter just whined then knuckled under. "Senate Leaders?" Feh.

The Congressional Republicans
...40 years to gain the majority
...40 minutes to demonstrate they didn't know how to govern.

And that continues to this day. They, and particularly Frist, are a disgrace.

[ClaireSolt]

Frist is fine. Not great or awae inspiring, but fine. What interests me is that the Republicans have been putting the moderates out front in the senate this year. It's all Susan Collins and Arlan Spectre. Must be a stategy.

[bpjam]

Frist is simply too inexperienced for the job. Being the freaking Majority Leader in your first term? Unheard of. And this is exactly why. No experienced leader would turn over control of any issues to Arlen Specter. Of course, a real leader would have prevented Specter from becoming Judiciary chair anyways because that job is about more than just judicial nominees.

And Frist's chances at becoming President aren't any better. AND Frist is risking the seat in TN by bailing out after only one term without a clear successor lined up.

[Digger]

Who put Frist into this position? The same guy that would have put Harriet Meirs on the SC. Frist is there to keep this country from moving too far to the right. Guarantee you all as I've stated since GW was inaugurated that there will be no true Supreme Court when he leaves. Then watch the Hildabeast stack it for the final destruction of this once great nation.

[CharlesWayneCT]

There's so much misinformation I don't know how we would tell what america really wants here.

I know that people with legal immigrants working for them are afraid that the bill would make them leave the country. Which of course it doesn't. We've seen protests where legal immigrants have complained that they would be kicked out of public schools, or be denied access to college -- neither of which is true.

Nobody wants to see their legal friends sent away. Most of the pro-border-security crowd support legal immigration (there are some who are Buchanonites who wish to close the borders down and revoke all legal immigrant status, but that is surely a small minority).

[tobyhill]

With a Senate so divided like it is, it takes 60+ to get anything through and because of the "Gentleman's Rule" both party managers must agree on the bills and amendments to even start getting something through. Reid didn't take over the Senate, he rendered the Senate useless. If Reid really wanted the immigration bill then he would allow the Cornyn/Kyl amendment to come up for at least a vote.

[ItsForTheChildren]

The same Senate Republicans that gave us Trent Lott put Frist into that position. So I guess Sen. Milquetoast-Frist should not have been a surprise.

IMHO Alito is a far better replacement for O'Connor than Miers would have been. Roberts is a fine pick although I would have liked to see Scalia as CJ right now, maybe Roberts later.

[ItsForTheChildren]

Frist is fine.

Sorry, but I've got to disagree. I like my leaders, especially in times of war, to have a spine. He may be a fine man but I think he is wholly unsuited for the post of Majority Leader, especially in these times.

[ClaireSolt]

I like to associate with people who are realistic.