Reid: Teddy's death "going to help us"

The Reno Gazette-Journal has a sit-down with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who addresses the Ted Kennedy question in, um, an interesting way.

Q: How will U.S. Sen. (Edward) Kennedy's death affect things? A: I think it's going to help us. He hasn't been around for some time. We're going to have a new chairman of that committee, it'll be, I don't know for sure, but I think Sen. (Chris) Dodd, (D-Conn.). He has a right to take it. Either him or (U.S. Sen. Tom) Harkin, (D-Iowa), whichever one wants it can have it. I think he (Kennedy) will be a help. He's an inspiration for us. That was the issue of his life and he didn't get it done.

Nothing in here is particularly new — Kennedy will help the cause, Dodd gets to carry the banner, Kennedy's work remains undone. But the straight-shooting Reid does have a gift for saying non-controversial things in the most controversial way possible.

h/t Isenstadt

Glenn Thrush is senior staff writer at Politico Magazine.