In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Arkansas senator Tom Cotton unloaded on Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid. Cotton was angered because Reid singlehandedly held up a defense bill for days that went on to pass the Senate by a vote 98-0, suggesting that even Senate Democrats didn’t support Reid’s quixotic attempt to stall the legislation. Cotton, an Iraq war vet, also tore into Reid for claiming he was acting to protect the interests of veterans. Cotton specifically condemned Reid for being disingenuous, reminding his Senate colleagues that Reid didn’t seem to care much about veterans when he declared the Iraq war lost just before the Bush administration’s successful surge operation brought the country back under control.
But Cotton also expanded his critique to Harry Reid more generally, as Reid has an illustrious history of making mean and dishonest statements. “I’m forced to listen to the bitter, vulgar, incoherent ramblings of the minority leader,” he said. “Normally, like every other American, I ignore them. I can’t ignore them today. . . . When was the last time the minority leader read a bill? It was probably an electricity bill.” After he gave the speech, the Washington Post declared Cotton “really, really, really doesn’t like Harry Reid.” Cotton then went on Twitter and shot back: “Open secret: most Senate Democrats feel the same about Harry Reid.”
