He is qualified by time and experience. Duly-elected to the state wide positions of state comptroller and attorney general for the state of Illinois, respectively. His credentials are unquestionable, but U.S. senate appointee Roland Burris appears to be the victim of a stigmatic specter from days long ago.Majority Leader Harry Reid would have been more credible if it were not for the leaking of the conversation he had with controversial governor Blagojevich concerning his preference for who would fill the senate seat vacated by President-elect Barrack Obama.
According to Blagojevich, Sen. Reid was adamant about who he wanted in that position, but he apparently started off by naming who he did not want: Chicago Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, and state Senate President Emil Jones Jr. Describing three black public officials as “unelectable,” Reid has apparently forgotten that it was a black man who was duly elected that needs to be replaced! Reid’s preference, according to Blagojevich would be either of two women, of which are probably less qualified than any of the black men who were in consider
ation. He preferred either Thai-American state Veteran Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth or white Illinois state Attorney General Lisa Madiga.However, Reid’s conduct should at least draw suspicion of his thought processes. Of course, he would work with blacks in the House and/or the Senate—that’s his job—that’s what we all know as politics, but what if Sen. Reid has “certain preferences?” What does he think of blacks as a people?
Perhaps another clue can be given by his way of denigrating Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. (Some things will occasionally go beyond politics). Setting politics aside for the moment, let us simply look at how he responded to Justice Thomas without a pause for a thought
During a Dec. 5 2004 interview with Tim Russert on on the NBC News program Meet the Press, Reid's response to Russert question was as follows:
MR. RUSSERT: Why couldn't you accept Clarence Thomas?
SEN. REID: I think that he has been an embarrassment to the Supreme Court. I think that his opinions are poorly written. I don't--I just don't think that he's done a good job as a Supreme Court justice.
Sen. Reid was soon rebuked by the Congressional Black Caucas for that remark. This may suggest that when not politically expedient, Sen. Harry Reid would prefer no blacks around!
