Reid Better Get up to Speed...

Well, I was one of many who had lots of fun picking on Nancy Pelosi, and talking about what a poor leader she was for the Democratic party. Judging by the early returns on the Democratic Congress, she is at worst the second-worst Democratic leader - because Harry Reid is letting the opposition run rings around him so far.

Andrew Roth, Glenn Reynolds and others have done a great job of chronicling how Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn and others have shamed Reid and Senator Bob Byrd into accepting Nancy Pelosi's proposal for earmark reform - and even tripped up Reid into insulting Pelosi in the process.

Now Judd Gregg seems to have caught Reid off guard with his proposal for a line-item veto (actually, 'enhanced rescission,' which is basically the same thing, but will withstand a constitutional challenge).

Roth again covers this current argument, as does Mark Tapscott. It sounds like Reid has called a timeout to negotiate with Senator Gregg off of the Senate floor.

Check out the Hill for more information on Gregg's enhanced rescission bill.

Update: And while we're at it, let's point out something that few have picked up on - possibly because it's too difficult for a novice like me to follow. As I understand it, Reid was the prime mover behind a last-minute earmark in support of a pipeline from northern Nevada to Las Vegas, where his son Rory is chairman of the County Board. Among the lobbyists in support of the project was a former Reid staffer, and among the beneficiaries is an old friend. Not the sort of thing that looks good when you're committed to 'changing the culture.'

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