 | ||
 | Elian Gonzalez saga could haunt Obama | |
| Gitmo trial looms in election homestretch | |
| Back at Senate, Clinton treated like royal | |
| GOP favoritism in new IG report | |
| How Hoyer got the deal done | |
| LA Times/Bloomberg Poll: Obama +12 | |
| IN Polls: Prez Race Even, Gov Race Close | |
| McCain's Psychological Benefits | |
| VP Watch: Michigan Numbers | |
| The Charm Offensive Continues |
| A Transportation Stimulus | |
| McCain's Speech in Santa Barbara | |
| A Serious Energy Policy for Our Future | |
| The Imitators | |
| 'Victims' of Cut-Rate Loans |
| A Serious Energy Policy for Our Future | |
| When Partisanship Doesn't Come Easy | |
| A Test for Obama's Promises | |
| Precious Time for Democrats |
|
May 12, 2008
Majority Leader Reid Talks About McCain
Hannity & Colmes
COLMES: Senator Harry Reid has a new book out called "The Good Fight: Hard Lessons from Searchlight to Washington." Earlier today, I spoke with the majority leader about his new book and the future of the Democratic Party.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLMES: Senator Reid, welcome to "Hannity & Colmes." Great to see you.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: Thank you very much for allowing me to be on the show.
COLMES: Reading this book, I learned some things about you that I think would blow people's minds. Your whole background: you have a flat knuckle from a childhood fight. You grew up on a house of flammable railroad ties. Your house could have easily burned down. Your father, not having health care, would remove bad teeth with pliers. I mean, this is quite a background you talk about here.
REID: Well, as I was growing up, Alan, it seemed little difficult at times. But I just assumed everyone had the same situation I had. It wasn't until much later in life that I looked back and realized, I guess I wasn't the best.
COLMES: When you talk about your father being too drunk to work sometimes and your parents would literally fight in front of you. And you and your brother once jumped your father when he was hurting your mother. How did that -- how does that inform you, both as a man and as a legislator?
REID: Well, a lot of it is hard to comprehend now, but I'm -- you know, one of the reasons for the book is this. When I left Searchlight going to high school because there was no high school there, went away to college, law school, even started practicing law, I always was embarrassed to talk about where I came from.
You know, we had no inside toilet, no hot water. My parents weren't educated. My father didn't graduated from eighth grade. My mother didn't graduate from high school. Afraid to bring people to the house because my parents might be drunk at any given time. It wasn't -- it was something that I didn't want to talk about.
But as I got older, as an adult and then some, I came to the realization that's who I was, and there was no way I could run from it. And so I put my arms around Searchlight, and since that time, that's who I am. And what it -- I'm sure it's had a lot to do with some of my core beliefs.
COLMES: Why have you not declared a preference in the presidential race?
REID: One main reason: I am the Democratic leader. I'm the majority leader of the Senate. I had Joe Biden come back. I've had John Kerry come back from presidential election campaigns, and I have to work with them.
I'm going to have one of these senators come back, and I'm going to have to work with that senator. And I'm going to be able to look them in the eye and said I've been neutral.
I think that John McCain is a flawed candidate. He's wrong on the war. He's wrong on the economy. And one of the Democrats is going to come back.
COLMES: How -- is it for at this point that Hillary Clinton can be the nominee?
REID: I think that -- you know, we can all see what's going on, and I think it's going to be very difficult. But am I calling for her to quit? No. Barack Obama's not either. This is going to play itself out for a while longer.
And on June 2 we have about 2/3 of the super delegates already been announced. We'll have how many ever are left over then. We'll have a couple days for Obama and Clinton after June 3 to make their statements to the unpledged super delegates, and we'll have a five-month general election campaign.
Remember, Bill Clinton didn't cinch the nomination until June 2. We're going to do that shortly thereafter.
COLMES: Do you expect mud slinging in this upcoming campaign? Do you expect it will be a -- what's your take on it?
REID: Well, John -- John McCain, you know, started all this saying he was going to run a good campaign. But now it appears he's going to the playbook of Karl Rove. He's already tried to brand Obama as many things he isn't. He is -- I'm very disappointed in John.
You know, he used to be a very -- I came to Washington with him. We're separated by one. He is one seniority ahead of me, because Arizona has more people than Nevada. But we looked at him as a real independent person.
But you know, the last seven years, since he's been putting his arms around Bush, he's lost all that independence. He's going along with Bush lockstep. And we're going to wind up having a third term for George Bush the way things are going. Because McCain can't get elected.
COLMES: Can he or can he not get elected in the fall?
REID: Well, I think he's had a tremendous uphill battle. He's lost his own forthwith (ph) for independence. He is flawed in many ways. We all know about his temperament. We know of his stand on the war: 50 years, 100 years. We know the economy. He's part of the Bush disaster that's happened to our economy.
COLMES: Having -- you mentioned temperament. Having worked with him, have you seen evidence of what has been discussed as a temper? Have you seen firsthand any of that?
REID: Anyone that's served in the Senate with John McCain has seen his temper.
COLMES: Any examples?
REID: I'm not going to get into personal examples. But believe me, I can give you some.
