Harry Reid's "Incompetent" Speaking

Bob Geiger tries to apologize or minimize Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's inability to speak. Trying desperately to explain the "context" in which Harry Reid called Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Peter Pace, Geiger writes:

It's because those of us who actually participated in the conference call heard the context in which Senator Reid made his comments. What he said about Pace was not said in the spirit of throwing some rhetorical red meat to a bunch of liberal bloggers by gratuitously bashing General Pace -- which is certainly what one could infer from The Politicos "reporting" on this story.

Rather, Reid was talking informally about George W. Bush's refusal to dump Alberto Gonzales and told us what he said to Pace in a private meeting before Bush tossed aside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff like a rotting fish.

Here's exactly what Reid said:

"I guess the president, uh, he's gotten rid of Pace because he could not get him confirmed here in the Senate… Pace is also a yes-man for the president and I told him to his face, I laid it out to him last time he came to see me, I told him what an incompetent man I thought he was."

So, did Reid utter the word "incompetent" in the same sentence with General Pace's name on the conference call? Yes, he did.

But in the context in which it was said -- and based on Reid's tendency to speak like the straight-talking, former boxer that he is -- it all makes sense. And to those of us not looking for a Matt Drudge-worthy story, it hardly seemed remarkable.

Oh, well that makes it so much better.

Not only is Gen. Pace incompetent, he is a "yes man" for the President, bowing and scraping as if Peter Pace needs this, or any, President to validate his existence and experience. I am not sure how much more "sense" can be made. The only thing that Harry Reid did that I can even marginally respect is that he told Gen. Pace Reid thought he was incompetent to Pace's face.

Unlike so many of my colleagues on the right, I don't think Harry Reid should apologize to Gen. Pace and I don't think Gen. Pace is waiting by the phone for one. But, in light of the name calling and the blanket incompetence Harry Reid has demonstrated as Majority Leader, I would hope that Senate Democrats, national Democrats and indeed all Americans consider the source when Harry Reid opens his mouth.

Finally, why is Bob Geiger apologizing for Harry Reid, doesn't Reid have a staff to cover him?