Harry Reid: The Man with a Plan

The Gadflyer’s Joshua Holland has mixed feelings about Harry Reid, to which I can relate. And Josh and I are usually on the same page—we’re loving him or cringing at him at the same times. So it’s no surprise that he sums up my feelings quite aptly on Reid’s latest maneuver:

I've mentioned before that Harry Reid sometimes pisses me off and at other times I think he's a genius.

Just now, Reid offered to "step back from the precipice." He magnanimously offered unanimous consent to move forward to an up or down vote on one of Bush's controversial nominees.

He just wants ten hours of debate, that's all.

The nominee: Thomas Griffin. You know, the one who's been practicing law without a license for the past four years. Let's debate his suitability for ten hours while the nation's attention is on the issue.

And if the Repubs see the play and don't take it, then who's being the obstructionist?

Genius.

I agree. Choosing the loathsome Griffin as the centerpiece of an up or down vote and demanding the platform to debate his, ahem, interesting credentials is a stroke of sheer brilliance. Well done, Harry.