The New Harry Reid Smear

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid made a profit from a land sale--and not even land that he used his leadership position to influence the value of, just regular old land.

Reid informed the Senate Ethics Committee about it, and didn't hide anything in his paperwork filed with the state of Nevada. His only possible violation of anything was that he didn't distinguish for the Ethics Committee that for the last half of his ownership of the land, he held it in a limited liability corproation (LLC) instead of as an individual.

The "story" was broken by the same Associated Press reporter who blew the boxing credentials story and lied about a Reid-Abramoff connection. There's also no fire in this new story--barely any smoke.

And yet our local righties have jumped on the story, demanding that we Democrats--who have taken stands against Congressional leaders covering up for sex predators in their ranks--call for Reid's resignation. Owen doesn't explicitly, but implies that it was Reid's status that earned him such profit. But Fraley calls on Dems to demand the resignation, as does Fred. The Game goes further, apparently applying that law degree he earned overnight to say, "Here is a story of actual corruption, actual breaking the law." What law? The law that public servants can't legitimately make a profit? I thought the Republican party was all about profit.

It's also, apparently, all about smears.