After Broder Slams Reid, Begala Slams Broder

By: E&P Staff David Broder wrote a column today slamming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, even comparing him to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Paul Begala quickly offered a scathing response to Broder in a blog entry on HuffingtonPost.com, saying the Washington Post Writers Group columnist "suck(s) up to power."

Broder wrote: "Here's a Washington political riddle where you fill in the blanks: As Alberto Gonzales is to the Republicans, Blank Blank is to the Democrats -- a continuing embarrassment thanks to his amateurish performance. If you answered 'Harry Reid,' give yourself an A. ..."

Like various Republicans who still support the Iraq War, Broder criticized Reid for saying that war is lost militarily. The conservative-leaning columnist noted: "Instead of reinforcing the important proposition -- defined by the Iraq Study Group -- that a military strategy for Iraq is necessary but not sufficient to solve the myriad political problems of that country, Reid has mistakenly argued that the military effort is lost but a diplomatic-political strategy can still succeed."

Begala, who has been a liberal CNN political commentator and political consultant, countered: "A man generally given to soporific prose, Broder has been downright venomous lately. And what has put the Benzedrine in Mr. Broder's Ovaltine? Not the fact that President Bush continues to lie about 'progress' in the war in Iraq. Or that Dick Cheney continues to lie about pre-invasion links between al Qaeda and Iraq. Or that the Bush Administration has neglected our wounded warriors, ignored the victims of Katrina, potentially obstructed justice by firing U.S. Attorneys who were pursuing GOP wrongdoing. Not even that the Bush Administration lied to the families of Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch, cynically using their blood to distract from their own incompetence and dishonesty.

"No, none of this raises Dean Broder's hackles. He reserves his vitriol for Harry Reid. Why Reid? Because Reid has been one of the few politicians with the courage to speak the plain, unvarnished truth to power, and the hallmark of Mr. Broder's career has been to suck up to power. Reid calls Bush a liar. Broder can't handle the truth."

Also blasting Broder were scores of readers whose comments can be seen below his column on WashingtonPost.com.

Broder's column can be seen here. Begala's response can be seen here.