Blago-a-mano:Reid gets KO’d

The "decisions Reid makes this week could become a lasting measure of his tenure as majority leader."

That was the bold prediction last week in the unfailingly Reid-friendly Las Vegas Sun.

Sen. Harry Reid had many "hard" choices to make in seating the new senators from Minnesota and Illinois, the Sun proclaimed, and if he can somehow find the skills to successfully navigate those choices, he will have solidified his legacy as a great national leader.

Nevada pride aside, let's be honest -- the Reid sycophants at the Sun didn't exactly set the bar very high. In fact, they placed the bar on the floor ... and Harry still tripped over it.

In Minnesota, the winner is Al Franken. While there will be a court challenge, Franken should be seated provisionally. It's a no-brainer.

And, in Illinois, even though Gov. Rod Blagojevich is a tainted character, he's still the governor. He lawfully named Roland Burris, the state's former attorney general.

Another no-brainer. Steer clear of the Illinois Blago corruption mess and seat Burris.

Instead, Harry called out the governor for a fight, saying as long as he, Reid The Righteous, is leader of the U.S. Senate, no appointee of Blago The Unrighteous shall be seated. Not now. Not ever.

Then, in a counter move you could see coming a mile away, Blago sent Burris to the steps of Reid's Washington office, like Martin Luther King, Jr. went to Selma. Burris' supporters called Reid a racist for rejecting him (a black man) and the three other black men that Gov. Blago had earlier suggested to Reid.

The nation's spotlight focused on Harry. And 24 hours later, in a televised news conference, Harry ate a plate full of Chicago crow, saying he would, after further review, seat Burris; that his opposition was only procedural, never racial; and that after meeting Burris he could tell he was a fine man and Senate material.

In other words, Harry melted like the witch in "The Wizard of Oz."

I don't care whether you are friend or foe to Harry Reid, if you're a Nevadan -- you had to feel just a little uncomfortable for our senior senator. He reacted nervously and defensively when Burris supporters played the race card against him. (For the record, Harry Reid is no racist.) Nevertheless, Reid now has the dubious honor of going down in history as leading the Senate into a showdown with the most reviled politician in America ... and getting his butt kicked. And, to add insult to injury, even President-elect Barack Obama abandoned Reid to support Burris' nomination.

The reason for that, according to Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, is because the last thing Obama wants is the stench of Chicago politics rotting in Washington, D.C., during his inauguration. Writes Kass: "People might start asking questions, wondering how Obama could come out of a city run by the wrought-iron fists of the Daley machine but smell like the neck of a baby after a bath."

How, indeed? But that's another topic.

For this week, it is enough to ponder the incredible shrinking leadership legacy of Harry Reid. You can bet that many in his own party are at this very moment quietly a-buzz about Harry's butt-kicking. Does he have the basic leadership skills to keep his job?

As the Sun unwittingly foretold, so shall it be: The decisions made by Harry last week have become the "lasting measure of his tenure as majority leader."

With friends like the Sun ...

Sherman Frederick (sfrederick@reviewjournal.com) is publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and president of Stephens Media.