Reid Whines -- "Quit Telling The Truth!"

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has charted a course of obstructionism ever since he assumed his leadership position from Tom Daschle. He has indicated in interviews that he intends to use whatever methods necessary to block the president and his supporters from implementing the agenda endorsed by the American voters last November.

Now Reid is angry -- and demanding that President Bush silence the GOP.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid on Monday urged President Bush to stop the Republican National Committee from calling him an obstructionist and criticizing his Senate record, a tactic the GOP used to help defeat Reid's predecessor.

Bush repeatedly has said he wants work with Democrats, most recently during his State of the Union speech last week, Reid noted in a speech on the Senate floor.

"Why didn't he stand and tell the American people last Wednesday that one of the first items of business we were going to do in Washington is send out a hit piece on the Democratic leader?" Reid said.

The Republican committee plans to send a 13-page document to more than a million people -- including in Reid's home state of Nevada -- analyzing and criticizing his votes and stances before he officially took over as Senate Democratic leader in January.

Now hold on here. What is wrong with analyzing Reid's record? How is it wrong to point out differences between how Reid's position on the issues differs from the GOP? Notice, the senator is not questioning the veracity of the Republican claims. Rather, he is objecting to their being made at all. What has Harry got to hide?

RNC spokesman Brian Jones said Reid is picking up where Daschle left off.

"Harry Reid right now is the leader of the party of 'no,'" Jones said. "He is the party's chief obstructionist, and we're going to continue to talk about this in the months to come."

Bingo. Harry Reid doesn't want the American people to know who he is and what he is doing. He wants to obscure the record, because knowing his record will show that he is nothing more than another left-winger who is out of step with the American people.

Bush can't divorce himself from what the RNC is doing, Reid said.

The RNC "is the president's organization," Reid said. "He can't say one thing to the American people and then ... send out scurrilous letters saying that I'm a bad guy. In great detail. I mean, is President George Bush a man of his word?"

No, the president cannot divorce himself from the RNC -- no should he. There is nothing to be ashamed of in what is being done. He has said he wants to work with the Democrats, but when members of the Democrat leadership have indicated an unwillingness to work with the GOP for the good of the American people it is appropriate to respond in kind.

Tell you what, Harry -- we will stop the briefing letters just as soon as the Senate Democrats allow an up-or-down vote on every single judicial candidate pending whose nomination is currently pending. Call it a sign of good-faith on your part. And if you can't let that vote happen, just remember this simple truth.

The truth hurts.