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Opinion
Apr. 22, 2007
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EDITORIAL: Harry Reid and a 'lost' cause

Senator forced to backpedal on remarks

The Democratic strategy to use the ongoing violence in Iraq to their political advantage in the run-up to the 2008 elections requires some skill and nuance. But it's growing harder to believe Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- Nevada's own -- actually possesses those skills.

The Democratic strategy is anything but straightforward.

Sen. Reid and his colleagues know there is much political hay to be made by criticizing President Bush's planning and conduct of the post-war occupation. But they also know that while "cut our losses and pull out" plays well in Democratic caucuses, it failed in the Connecticut general election in 2006, when Sen. Joseph Lieberman and his anti-surrender stance handily defeated end-the-war candidate Ned Lamont -- even though Sen. Lieberman had to run as an independent to pull it off.

That's the kind of "poll" that really counts.

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    • Thus, the Democrats' careful strategy requires them to appear to oppose Mr. Bush's ongoing occupation of Iraq (to please their pacifist base), without taking any concrete, "binding" actions to change the status quo.

    Enter Sen. Reid, flopping around in big red shoes like Bozo the Clown.

    A few weeks ago, Sen. Reid said on a major weekend talk show that he favored a firm deadline for withdrawal of all forces from Iraq. When members of his own caucus said, "What? First we've heard," the senator went into damage control mode -- the kind that starts out with staffers explaining, "What the senator meant to say was ..."

    But last week he was back at it. As the Democratic House voted 215-199 Thursday to uphold legislation ordering troops out of Iraq next year, Sen. Reid appeared in public to declare the war in Iraq is "lost."

    "I can't begin to imagine how our troops in the field, who are risking their lives every day, are going to react when they get back to base and hear that the Democrat leader of the United States Senate has declared the war is lost," responded Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

    Now, purists may object this is not "a declared war," but that hasn't stopped the Congress from funding it. And in time of war, it's at least incredibly stupid to tell the enemy a fixed date by which the ammo and other supplies of the American troops will be cut off, encouraging the enemy to merely lay low and hold on.

    Not all Democrats seem to have such trouble keeping their feet out of their mouths. In a much more defensible yet still realistic statement, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the Appropriations Committee, differed with Sen. Reid last week, responding, "Our troops won the war clearly, cleanly and quickly. But now they are stuck in a civil war." The only solution to that is a political and diplomatic compromise, Rep. Obey added, "and there is no soldier who can get that done."

    Is that what Harry Reid meant to say?

    Friday morning, the majority leader returned to the Senate floor, supposedly to reiterate his Thursday comments. Yet this time Sen. Reid carefully avoided using the word "lost." Less than 24 hours after declaring Iraq a lost cause, Sen. Reid insisted, "No one wants us to succeed in Iraq more than the Democrats."

    Um ... what?

    What he actually meant to say is that Iraq is lost if we continue to follow President Bush's strategy, the Democratic leader explained -- while once more carefully resisting the temptation to put forward any better strategy.

    Sen. Reid then attempted the old cushion shot -- "deny everything and make counter-accusations" -- as he sought to shift the blame to those who had criticized him the day before.

    "The partisans who launched attacks on my comments are the same ones who continue to support a failed strategy that hurts our troops," Sen. Reid said.

    Ah. But it doesn't "hurt our troops" to tell them -- and the enemy -- that our Marines and G.I.s are risking their lives in a lost cause before they even suit up and start their engines for this morning's patrol?

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    Randall Whitt wrote on December 22, 2007 08:17 AM: It did not surprise me to find a call for additional registration taxes in the Sun. They found out that Nevada was not collecting taxes on off-road vehicles because they aren't registered and since not everybody has one, I'm sure they can convince the non-owners that it is a good idea to tax off-road vehicle owners. They also got a quote from a very well informed ATV Retailer that millions of dollars in revenue is being lost because people are going to Utah to buy ATVs. Most of the ATVs in town are sold by a major distributer out of Phoenix so I guess it doesn't matter that the profits are going there. Since we already live in one of the most taxed states in the US why don't we leave this alone. It's not broke. Hey bicycles and baby buggies aren't registered either! Are you listening Sun, a topic for next week.


    Jeffrey L Carter wrote on November 30, 2007 10:37 AM: Thanks you for the journalist who has the patriotism and guts to unmask the likes of Harry Reid and his ilk. The success our military is currently experiencing, ("surge") is a testament to the FACT that political operatives in Washington had not allowed the fine folks on the ground to determine how to fight and WIN this war in the first place. If Reid, Pelosi, Murtha, Kennedy, Dodd, etc. had just stayed the heck out of the way since day one, outr troops for the most part would already be home. A message for the Dems:
    Sit down, Shut up and let American soldiers, (not tax payer funded beaurocrats) manage this conflict. We all will be better off and the loss of American lives will be minimized. Thanks you to our Troops and God Bless them for keeping America safe!


    Russell Hardy wrote on July 09, 2007 11:48 AM: Senator Reid is an embarrassment to the state of Nevada. Why doesn't he wise up and just keep his mouth shut?


    Earl Umfleet wrote on June 20, 2007 09:03 PM: Senator Harry Reid was right about the Iraq War. However, he is way off base about Illegal Immigration. I'm sorry I cannot vote against him in the next election, but I'm sure there are other democrats and republicans in my district I can vote against. Incumbents beware.


    Tam O'Fallon wrote on June 19, 2007 04:29 PM: Las Vegas Review Journal: Well, guess what. I delivered copy to your editors back in the dirty early 1960's when Monty Proser was the producer of Flower Drum Song at the Thunderbird Hotel-Casino.



    During those days when Vegas was about ready to fold up and blow away with the western wind the Las Vegas Review Journal and the production department and news department and incidently the publisher could not do enough for the City of Las Vegas and the State of Nevada. In fact, an invitation to an opening and the latest from the Thunderbird Hotel Casino was the status symbol for the Las Vegas Review Journal. And our entertainers did not stay way across town when there was a matter of skin color involved either.



    So pull in your horns or your deer whistles, get the sh...out of your keyboards and computers, put on your best suit and try to be a little more than a piece of information that blew in on a warm Kansas evening as Count Basie would say; warm up the vibes and count the ivories and use the intelligence that were given to you by the good Maker.



    Tam O'Fallon



    P. S. The latest on the fashion runway are fashions by TAM. Who do you think is responsible for such fashions that are girly and swirly. Your editors best mistress.


    Tam O'Fallon wrote on June 19, 2007 04:28 PM: Las Vegas Review Journal: Well, guess what. I delivered copy to your editors back in the dirty early 1960's when Monty Proser was the producer of Flower Drum Song at the Thunderbird Hotel-Casino.

    During those days when Vegas was about ready to fold up and blow away with the western wind the Las Vegas Review Journal and the production department and news department and incidently the publisher could not do enough for the City of Las Vegas and the State of Nevada. In fact, an invitation to an opening and the latest from the Thunderbird Hotel Casino was the status symbol for the Las Vegas Review Journal. And our entertainers did not stay way across town when there was a matter of skin color involved either.

    So pull in your horns or your deer whistles, get the sh...out of your keyboards and computers, put on your best suit and try to be a little more than a piece of information that blew in on a warm Kansas evening as Count Basie would say; warm up the vibes and count the ivories and use the intelligence that were given to you by the good Maker.

    Tam O'Fallon

    P. S. The latest on the fasion runway are fashions by TAM. Who do you think is responsible for such fashions that are girly and swirly. Your editors best mistress.


    leeann kaspar wrote on May 17, 2007 03:42 PM: I just read some of the comments that your readers wrote. I hope I don't live around any of those wierdos. One of them wrote America is hated because of the Democrats......? Harry Reid is unpatriotic? If you want to go to Irag without proper training and armor and die at the age of 19-20 for a war that we shouldn't be in then all of whackos should go to Iraq and take GW Bush with you. PLEASE....Go on get to work so you can pay all of the Bush cronies over there and our deficit. I can't stand ignorance SO PLEASE GO AND REMEMBER TAKE ALL OF THE BUSH & CHENEY FAMILY WITH YOU.


    leeann kaspar wrote on May 17, 2007 03:28 PM: Whoever wrote the article above must be as dumb and corrupt as this administration. People have been conned by the media for too long, we are aware of the truth, thank god for the Internent. So Iraq (which had nothing to do with 911) that we have destroyed and 100,000(s) have died so that Bush and his cronies can make money is a good thing? What is a Republican nowadays? Crooks.....


    kennethmathewson wrote on May 15, 2007 06:39 PM: Harry Reid was right, this a thousand year old war that will never be over. Our government is using tax $ and resources to protect their investment in this new "democracy." Never in my memory has such an arrogance toward the amercan tradition been displayed,and the will of the people been so ignored. There is still no good reason given for being there.


    Scot wrote on May 13, 2007 07:12 PM: The Dems sad that this is turning into another Vietnam. They are right. They were responsible for that problem as well. Anytime politicians put severe restictions on the military, it places an undue burden on them and empowers the enemy. The North Vietnamese admitted they could never beat the US militarily, all the had to do was suffer severe losses and hold on until the politicians and people caved in.
    If you go to war, go to war. You have defeat the enemy first before building their country back up. Innocent people will die. That is regettable, but it is a matter of fact. If Saddam was taken out during the first Gulf War, where would Iraq be right now?

    The military needs to be allowed to destroy areas that the enemy is hiding at. They need to keep destroying their areas until they either all are dead, withdraw to fight another day, or the citizens start killing the terrorists because of the heartache they have brought. Diplomatic means will not work on these people. Never has and never will. Why did President Truman authorize the bomb to be dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Because the cost of American lives would be too high. Someone had to die and the decision was made that it would be the enemy. It was terrible, but necessary. I don't think we need to drop any nukes in the Middle East, but the military has to be allowed to fight and fight hard


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