PTA: Parent, Teacher, Asshole

Reid the Fine Print

Did you know Harry Reid attended 3 boxing matches in Las Vegas? Did you know he had ringside seats? Those most coveted seats where you can get splattered by sweat, spit, blood, and the occasional tooth...or ear if Tyson's fighting...It's more fun than Gallagher Live!

Anyway, do you know who Harry Reid is? I didn't either before I looked in the newspaper today...He's the Senate Democratic leader...and he was pressing for legislation to increase government oversight of...boxing.

No biggie, right? I mean, there is no law against accepting gifts from lobbyists. Well, read the following transcript of Jim Lehrer interviewing Reid on News Hour on January 18, 2006.

JIM LEHRER: But the specifics that are involved in the current situation aside, the practices of lobbyists taking people -- financing trips abroad, taking people to meals -- all of that -- free airplane travel -- all that sort of stuff has been common practice. Democrats and Republicans have been doing that for years, correct?

SEN. HARRY REID: Well, Jim, listen. The Jack Abramoff situation where he's flying people around to golf tournaments in Scotland and other places, I don't think that has been -- if it has, I don't know about it, but if it has been, it's time to stop.

Now, Reid received these free tickets as far back as 2003.

Reid's argument? According to the New York Times:

Mr. Reid defended the gifts, saying that they would never influence his position on the bill and that he was simply trying to learn how the legislation might affect an important industry in his home state. "Anyone from Nevada would say, 'I'm glad he is there taking care of the state's No. 1 businesses,' " he said.

Oh, well sorry Senator Reid...I suppose that if you give us your word that the free ring side seats to three separate boxing events won't affect your decision, and you only accepted the tickets to go on a fact finding excursion...Well, forgive my suspicious nature...

WAIT A MINUTE! Couldn't tickets to boxing matches simply to investigate how a piece of legislation will affect an important local industry be a tax write-off?

Smell that? It's the sweet smell of hypocrisy...

posted by Bodog @ 3:17 PM