Reid’s Civics Lesson

How low can the Democrats go? What lesson was Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid trying to teach the high school students in his state - respect for others, how to effectively advance your ideas, acceptable political discourse or civil behavior?

What a role model - when you can’t get your own way, call someone a name. Reid calls the President of the United States “a loser” because he disagrees with his policies. The Senator criticizes and calls President Bush a name and as far we can tell Reid didn’t provide the students with any positive alternatives. Civics lesson indeed!

From Senator Reid’s hometown newspaper, the Review Journal:

Washington's top Democrat, Senator Harry Reid gave 60 teenagers a lesson in partisan politics, particularly about the commander in chief. "The man's father is a wonderful human being," Reid told students at Del Sol High School in Los Vegas during a civics discussion today. "I think this guy is a loser."

"He's driving this country into bankruptcy," Reid said, referring to the deficit. "He's got us in this intractable war in Iraq where we now have about 1,600 American soldiers dead and another 15,000 injured."

Shortly after the event Reid called the White House to apologize, his spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said. "You know the president is in Europe, probably sleeping," Reid said in an interview this afternoon. "But I called (Karl) Rove and apologized for what I said."

Aaron at Pardon My English makes a great point in his comparison of the remarks by Reid and those made by Trent Lott. Lott’s praise of an old Senate colleague forced him to resign his position as Majority Leader.

This kind of childish name calling is despicable behavior for a U.S. Senator. Regrettably, Senator Reid will walk away unscathed. Isn't it odd that Senator Trent Lott, who said a few kind words to a centenarian Senator on his birthday, is pressured into resigning as Senate Party Leader, but Senator Reid outright calls the President a "loser" and nothing even resembling a punishment ensues?

Republican spokesman Brian Jones sums up Reid’s sorry civics lesson:

Republican National Communications Director Brian Jones issued a statement calling the senator's comments "a sad development but not surprising from the leader of a party devoid of optimism, ideas or solutions to the issues people care about most."

Somehow we think the majority of the high school group came to the same conclusion.