WASHINGTON _ Much has been said about Sen. Harry Reid’s first year as majority leader, including our package considering his performance in Sunday’s Sun.
But as 2007 comes to a close, the first session of the 110th Congress continues on, at least in the Senate.
Reid, you might recall, stepped off the Senate floor for the holidays pledging to keep the chamber in pro forma session until senators return in mid-January. Washington is as quiet as a college campus during break, but the Senate bustles every few days as a dependable senator rouses from holiday season to gavel the chamber open and closed in a matter of minutes.
The bad blood between Reid and President Bush is no secret, and the senator worried the president would make objectionable recess appointments while the Senate was away. It’s not just national issues at stake – two appointees are pending to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which will oversee the Yucca Mountain application if it is submitted next year as planned.
Reid, however, is not pulling pro-forma duties. The Washington Post reports this morning that loyal Democrats, from Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia to Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, have agreed to handle the extra shifts.
Reid will be judged on much this year, even on how he runs the Senate from 2,400 miles away.