Harry Reid Won't Negotiate, Won't Cure Childhood Cancer, Won't Quit Being Awesome

So far this has been a week of shaking our heads at flop-sweating Republicans twisting themselves into rhetorical pretzels as they try to explain why this government shutdown that is very obviously their fault is not actually their fault. Meanwhile, the conservative press has been laboring dutifully to record any equivalent cringe-worthy word salad from Democrats, and it looks like the Washington Free Beacon has got a live one! Here's Harry Reid telling Dana Bash to tell all the cancer kids to go Cheney themselves after Bash asked a question about a standalone bill to fund the National Institute of Health:

BASH: But if you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn’t you do it?

REID: Why would we want to do that? I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force base that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own. This is — to have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing maybe means you’re irresponsible and reckless –

BASH: I’m just asking a question.

Aw, Harry Reid made Dana Bash blush with his ornery badgering charm. But really -- why would Harry Reid want to do that? Do kids vote? Do kids make political contributions? C'mon, Dana, this ain't your first rodeo. But does she have a GOTCHA? Would you believe NOT AT ALL, because LIE OF OMISSION?

 POLITICO, make yourself useful:

Bash then asked Sen. Reid, "But if you can help one child with cancer, why wouldn't you do it?"

At that point, Sen. Chuck Schumer, who was standing next to Sen. Reid, said to Bash, "Why pit one against the other?" After which, Sen. Reid said, "Why would we want to do that?"

Oh, we get it, it's lying. Very familiar with lying.

Lord knows we give Harry Reid a lot of guff around here, but truth be told we've had a little soft spot for the guy ever since he went balls-out in 2012 and said (paraphrasing): "A little bird told me Mitt Romney never paid a tax in his life, why doesn't Mitt release his tax returns and prove me wrong?" Yes, it was (probably) a lie, UNLESS IT WASN'T, and if Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan had been paragons of honesty and forthrightness, we might have felt bad about it, too.

And really, Harry has been acing this shutdown thing top to bottom. Here's another slice of Free Bacon in which he nails it:  

You talk about reckless and irresponsible. Wow. What this is all about is Obamacare. They are obsessed. I don’t know what other word I can use. They’re obsessed with this Obamacare.

YES. Harry gets it. The single most important reason why Republicans are taking such a beating for the shutdown is that they won't shut up about Obamacare. Even if you don't love Obamacare, you are definitely sick of hearing about it. Hey America, did you think the 2012 election meant you were through listening to old white rich men yelling about Obamacare? WRONG! Obamacare now, Obamacare tomorrow, Obamacare forever! Every action has an equal and opposite Obamacare! I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by Obamacare! When a man and a woman love each other very much OBAMACARE!

[ Washington Free Beacon / Politico ]