March 5, 2005
BACK TO LUFFA DUTY:
Reid and Kerry, With Swords Drawn (Dan Balz and Mike Allen, March 6, 2005, Washington Post)
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan isn't the only one in town to get himself crosswise with Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). Ask Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.).Reid and Kerry crossed swords two weeks ago at a closed-door meeting of the Senate Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee with a group of labor leaders, and while accounts vary, there's little doubt that things got tense between the new Senate Democratic leader and the party's 2004 presidential nominee.
Kerry was unhappy with the posture of the Democrats and told Reid that they needed to be far more aggressive in fighting President Bush, needed to set up what amounted to a perpetual campaign and needed a plan to prevent Bush from seizing the middle ground in the Social Security fight.
Reid responded that he had set up a campaign-style war room and taken other steps to put the Democrats in fighting mode and made it clear he wasn't going to change course just because Kerry thought something different was needed.
The most extensive account of the exchange noted that Reid had questioned how Kerry had run his presidential campaign in Nevada last year -- he lost the state -- but two other sources say that did not occur.
But several of those in the room described it as an awkward and tough exchange that left no one in doubt as to who was in charge of Senate Democrats. "Reid kind of shot him down," said one person privy to the exchange, adding, "You would never have seen [former Senate Democratic Leader] Tom Daschle do that."
Cabana Boy wanted to lead the Free World and he can't take on Harry Reid without being humiliated? Posted by Orrin Judd at March 5, 2005 11:46 PM
Yeah, but I'd betcha Kerry has a plan, a top secret plan, for dealing with Harry. Just don't ask him what it is.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at March 6, 2005 1:33 AMIf Reed wants to shut Kerry up, all he's got to to is just keep a copy of form 180 in his desk drawer, and when the senator gets a little out of line, just pull the thing out and demand that he sign it. That should send him scurrying back to Teresa and the Boston mansion in a hurry.
Posted by: John at March 6, 2005 1:46 AMOJ:
Kinda says something that the Dems never even considered him for Senate majority leader, no?
Posted by: Matt Murphy at March 6, 2005 2:21 AMWhoops, minority leader, minority leader...you'd think I wouldn't get that screwed up.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at March 6, 2005 2:22 AMIt looks like the WaPo is back on the Hillary bandwagon, or at least the payroll.
Posted by: Bart at March 6, 2005 7:05 AMSo Mr. Vietnam hero was shot down by dingy Harry from Searchlight? I suppose it only further confirms the Swifties, and also points out how Kerry fares against Tereza, too. Wait until Hillary dismisses him ("the party got in line behind the nominee, but he didn't know where to go").
Posted by: jim hamlen at March 6, 2005 8:27 AMJFKII will be sitting by himself in a G-Town bar trying to figure out what happened to him by the middle of summer.
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luf·fa n. Variant of loofa.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
loo·fa or loo·fah n.
1. Any of several Old World tropical vines of the genus Luffa, having cylindrical fruit with a fibrous, spongelike interior.
2. The dried, fibrous part of the loofa fruit, used as a washing sponge or as a filter. Also called dishcloth gourd, vegetable sponge.