Reports of Broder's retirement greatly exaggerated

Well, the "moderates" have caved, so we may as well take our fun where we can find it.

David Broder wrote a noteworthy column today critical of the Senate healthcare bill. Robert Costa on the Corner reported that Sen. Mitch McConnell cited Broder effectively in his remarks, quoting this portion of Broder's piece on the unpopularity of ObamaCare and rampant distrust of Congress (and Obama):

The day after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) gave its qualified blessing to the version of health reform produced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Quinnipiac University poll of a national cross section of voters reported its latest results.

This poll may not be as famous as some others, but I know the care and professionalism of the people who run it, and one question was particularly interesting to me.

It read: "President Obama has pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our federal budget deficit over the next decade. Do you think that President Obama will be able to keep his promise or do you think that any health care plan that Congress passes and President Obama signs will add to the federal budget deficit?"

The answer: Less than one-fifth of the voters -- 19 percent of the sample -- think he will keep his word. Nine of 10 Republicans and eight of 10 independents said that whatever passes will add to the torrent of red ink. By a margin of four to three, even Democrats agreed this is likely.

Harry "Meathead" Reid didn't take kindly to having Broder's words used against him and tried to retaliate:

Sen. Mike Johanns (R., Neb.), fresh off the Senate floor, just gave NRO a call to defend Washington Post columnist David Broder, who earlier in the day was derided as a “man who has been retired for many years and writes a column once in awhile” by Senate majority leader Harry Reid.

What set off Reid’s comment: Senator minority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) had cited a Broder column on health care, calling the longtime Post writer “a distinguished senior columnist.” Reid shot back that to focus on a Broder editorial is “not where we should be.”

“Why did [Reid] have to vilify Mr. Broder?” asks Johanns. “I’ve only met [Broder] here and there. We sometimes agree, we sometimes don’t. But I’ve always thought that he was thoughtful and a genuinely nice person.” Johanns adds that he often reads Broder’s twice-week-column and that Reid’s comments simply “drives me nuts.”

Heads-up to Sen. Reid:

David Salzer Broder (born September 11, 1929) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, television talk show pundit, and university professor. He was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois.

Currently, he writes a twice-a-week political column for the The Washington Post and teaches at the University of Maryland, College Park.

We are so looking forward to the day (sooner rather than later) when we can say that Reid is an irrelevant old retired guy.

Linked at Michelle Malkin (buzzworthy)

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