Harry Reid Gets Some Republican Support
Conservative Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma complained that "Washington plays a game of gotcha," according to a Tulsa World report quoted by Politico.
"It pains me that Republicans are saying Harry Reid ought to step down," he said. "When you point a finger, you have four fingers pointing back at you. There is not anybody in Washington who has not said something that could be judged inappropriate and wrong."
Republican Sen. John Ensign, who, like Reid, hails from Nevada, echoed that sentiment, telling KKOH radio in Reno yesterday that "we need to get away from this politics of gotcha," according to the Associated Press.
"I don't think there's a person walking, certainly not a politician out there, that hasn't made comments they regret," said Ensign. "When you make those comments, as long as you take responsibility for your comments and apologize for them, I think people should accept that."
Reid, of course, has come under fire after revelations that he described President Obama as "light skinned" and "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one" in detailing why he believed Mr. Obama would be a good presidential candidate. Reid apologized for the comments, and the president accepted.
Sen. John McCain today became the latest Republican to complain of what he called in an NBC interview a "stunning double standard" in the treatment of Reid.
McCain and others suggest that it is unfair for Reid to keep his job since former Sen. Trent Lott was forced to leave his leadership post after saying America that would have been better off if Strom Thurmond, who backed segregation, had been elected president in 1948.
Democrats have largely backed Reid, though their support hasn't been absolute: Sen. Russ Feingold said this week he "not decided whether these comments merit" Reid's resignation from the leadership.
"They're very unfortunate," said Feingold. "They should have never been said. So, I need to think about it."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has a longtime, cordial relationship with his Democratic counterpart, elected not to call for Reid's resignation at a news conference today, telling reporters "that's an issue for the Democratic conference." The comments were taken as tacit support for the majority leader.
Reid has signaled that he has no plans to step down. He is facing an uphill battle in his 2010 reelection campaign, with political analyst Stuart Rothenberg today moving his race to the "Lean Takeover" column.
More on Harry Reid:
Obama: Harry Reid's "Inartful" Words Don't Matter
Harry Reid: I'm "Not Going to Dwell" on Race Comments
GOP Sen. Ensign Stands Behind Harry Reid
Harry Reid & Son Both Battling in Nevada
Bob Schieffer: Reid Will Survive ... 'til Election Day
Unpacking Harry Reid's "Racist" Comments
Reid Apologizes for "Negro Dialect" Remark
Crawford: Racism Doesn't Always have a Southern Drawl
Are Clinton Comments "More Objectionable" Than Reid's?
60 Minutes: More Revelations from "Game Change"