Reid: Process for picking candidates must change

WASHINGTON -- As the protracted battle between Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., appeared at an end, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada on Tuesday said the Democratic Party should change its process of selecting presidential nominees.

"I hope that's one of the first things that we do next year," Reid told a news conference outside the Senate chamber.

"The present system is very difficult," he said, adding that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is working on possible changes.

Reid also urged uncommitted Democratic superdelegates to withhold their endorsements of Obama until after Tuesday's primaries in Montana and South Dakota.

"Senator Clinton needs to be left alone, and let's get through the primary process, and let this week work its course," Reid said.

But Reid said he did not expect superdelegates to wait until next week to make their endorsements.

About 18 superdelegates in the Senate are likely to make their endorsements by the end of this week, Reid said.

Reid is one of those uncommitted superdelegates, but he refused to tip his hand.

"I will set an example for the rest of the Senate, like I try to do with everything," he said.

At least three times, Reid said global warming is "the most important issue facing the world today."

"For more than a century, we've been taking carbon out of the earth where it belongs and pumping it into the air where it does not belong," Reid said. "The result of that: Our Earth is in a situation where it has a fever."

Reid defended a bill the Senate is debating this week to reduce global warming and criticized Republicans for arguing the legislation would raise gasoline prices.

"Gas prices don't go up. They go down," he said. "That's what this legislation is all about."

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau reporter Tony Batt at tbatt@ stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.