Worst thing Harry Reid ever said

The GOP spin machine is not about to let Sen. Harry Reid wriggle out of this statement in 2007 in which he said, while our troops were in the battlefield getting their heads shot at, that the war in Iraq was lost.

I said at the time, and I say now: It's the most disgraceful thing Harry Reid ever said. And, brother, that's saying a lot. Instead of trying to weasle out of the statement now that the heat is on for re-election, Sen. Reid would have been better off to just say he was sorry and admit he was wrong. But he can't do it.

You can see the GOP effort below to hold Reid's feet to the fire. In this case, Reid deserves every bit of this righteous partisan treatment.

Senator Harry Reid Continues To Reinvent His “War Is Lost” Statement But The Majority Leader’s Communication Director Reaffirmed Reid’s Position Verbatim Following His Speech In 2007

SENATOR HARRY REID SAYS HIS “WAR IS LOST” STATEMENT DIDN’T COME OUT THE RIGHT WAY

“With the impending withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq, many Republicans are crediting former President George W. Bush’s 2007 troop surge for giving President Barack Obama the ability to fulfill his campaign pledge of ending the war. Washington Wire caught up with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who famously said in 2007 that ‘the war is lost.’

REPORTER: What do you think of that now?

SENATOR HARRY REID: That of course didn’t come out exactly as I wanted it. Because Gen. Petraeus said the war could not be won militarily. He said that numerous times. [Gen. David Petraeus was the leader of U.S. forces in the Middle East at that time; he is now commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.]” (Peter Wallsten, “Reid Revisits Whether Iraqi War Was ‘Lost,’” Wall Street Journal, 08/23/10)

BUT IN 2007, A DAY AFTER MAKING THE ‘WAR IS LOST’ STATEMENT, REID’S SPOKESMAN USED THE SAME LANGAUGE TO DESCRIBE SENATOR REID’S POSITION ON IRAQ

THE NEW YORK POST: “Reid spokesman Jim Manley said the lawmaker stood by his comments, then added a qualification: ‘As long as we follow the president's path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there is a chance to change the course.’” (Geoff Earle, “War is Lost – Reid To America: We Can’t Win,” The New York Post, 04/20/07)

SENATOR REID THEN WENT ON A CRUSADE ATTACKING GENERAL PETRAEUS’ CREDIBILITY

Senator Reid Said General Petraeus “Isn’t In Touch With What’s Going On In Baghdad.” “Reid on Thursday went on to charge that Petraeus, who took command in Iraq four months ago, ‘isn’t in touch with what’s going on in Baghdad.’ He also indicated that he thinks Petraeus has not been sufficiently open in his testimony to Congress. Noting that Petraeus, who is now on his third tour of duty in Iraq, oversaw the training of Iraqi troops during his second stint there, Reid said, ‘He told us it was going great; as we’ve looked back, it didn’t go so well.’” (Steve Tetreault, “Reid Sets Off Firestorm With Criticism Of Pace,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6/15/07)

Senator Reid Accused Gen. Petraeus Of Providing Information That Has “Not Proven To Be Factual.” SEN. REID: “I first met General Petraeus when I went to Iraq. At that time he was training the Iraqi troops. He told us at that time it was going great, that they’d be able to take over the country themselves. That was three years ago or thereabouts. He’s made a number of statements over the years that have not proven to be factual.” (Sen. Harry Reid, Press Conference, Senate Radio-TV Gallery, 9/7/07)

Senator Reid: “I Don’t Believe Him.” Q: “…General Petraeus is going to come to the Hill and make it clear to you that there is progress going on in Iraq, that the so-called surge is working. Will you believe him when he says that?” SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “No, I don't believe him, because it's not happening. All you have to do is look at the facts.” (CNN’s “The Situation Room,” 04/23/07)

REPUBLICAN STATEMENT

“With his political career on the ropes, Senator Harry Reid wants people to believe that he misspoke when he declared defeat in Iraq. Nothing could be further from the truth, because not only did Reid say the ‘war is lost,’ the next day his spokesman used the same language to describe the Senator’s position. Whether it’s telling his colleagues they were going to pickup seats because of Iraq, declaring the war lost, or voting to support MoveOn’s General Betrayus ad, Senator Harry Reid has tragically and repeatedly used the situation in Iraq for his own political gain.” Jahan Wilcox, Republican Spokesman.