By now we have all seen the excerpt attributed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada from the upcoming book Game Change. If you haven't, what the H is wrong with you? He is quoted as saying in private that then-Sen. Barack Obama was "light skinned" "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." So many right wingers are FREAKING OUT about this. Is Sen. Reid racist? Is he an out of touch? Well, I don't know whether he is or isn't, but before we all pass judgement on the man, why don't we read another excerpt from the very same book:
FROM GAME CHANGE PAGES 33-34
Obama's relationship with the leader was cordial enough, but it was hardly warm or close. Now he found himself sitting in the chair across from Reid in his quarters in the Capitol. From the wall above Reid's desk, the impassive visage of Samuel Clemens, rendered in a giant oil painting, mutely observed the proceedings.
At sixty-six, Reid was a little more that twenty years older than Obama, but in terms of style and demeanor, the generation gap between them seemed much wider. Awkward and halting, vaguely archaic, Reid didn't like wasting words or time. On his mind today was Obama's future in the Senate -- and he got right to the point.
"You're not going to go anyplace here," Reid declared soon after Obama took his seat. "I know that you don't like it, doing what you're doing."
In observing Obama for the past year and a half, Reid has sensed his frustration and impatience, had heard rumblings that Obama was already angling to head back home and take a shot at the Illinois governorship. Reid had no idea if it was true, but he knew this much: Obama simply wasn't cut out to be a Senate lifer.As obama listened to the senior senator from Nevada, he wasn't sure where the old man was going. But then Reid's disquisition took an unexpected turn, surprising Obama in both its bluntness and its adamancy.
Twenty minutes later, the meeting was over, and Obama headed back to his warren in the Hart building. He breezed through the lobby, down the hall, and into Gibbs's office, closing the door behind him.
"So," asked Gibbs from behind his desk, "what did we f*** up?"
"Nothing," Obama replied. "Harry wants me to run for president."
"That whole meeting was about you running for president?"
"Yeah," Obama said, then grinned, "He really wants me to run for president."
So, how should we judge this man? By his poor choice of words or by his great choice in President? I have heard that ACTIONS speak louder than words. Perhaps many of my right wing friends have not.
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Not to mention the fact that Harry Reid, anachronistic choice of words and all, happened to be absolutely correct. As a man with the same skin tone and similar background as our President, I reach that conclusion not just because of cognitive and intellectual appreciation, but personal and professional experiences too.
By the by, Eugene Robinson has a brilliant op-ed about this matter in today's WaPo: Reid's comments were crudely put, yet true.
Great choice of President? Certainly better than the alternative...although that's not saying much; He's far far far from a great President. You should dedicate a post to what great things Obama has done thus far...appointing Amanda Simpson doesn't count; it's obvious that she was a token appoitment. The only good things I can think of are Obama calling Kanye West a jackass, and the ordering of U.S. snipers to kill those 3 Somali pirates.
@ Anonymous, how is it "obvious" Amanda Simpson was a "token" appointment? She has 30 YEARS working in missile systems. You don't happen to basing your views on Simpson's character, instead of her experience and job qualification, are you? Or would you rather Don't Ask Don't Tell on that one, Anonymous?
Caitlin and I have been mocking the stupid coverage on this topic. Its a joke...though the only statement I would agree with on any news is that if a Repub had said it, the ridiculous coverage would be as equally fierce and lame.
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