Harry Reid taking heat for Obama remarks
And you thought Harry Reid was in trouble BEFORE this weekend.
The Senate Democratic leader --already looking at a tough re-election bid in Nevada -- faces Republican calls to step down after reports that in 2008 he said he thought that Barack Obama could win the presidency because he was "light-skinned" and did not use a "Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
"It's an old mind-set when you're using language in 2008 that harkens back to the 1950s and '60s," said Republican Party Chair Michael Steele on Fox News Sunday.
Reid apologized Saturday to President Obama, who issued a statement in support of the Senate majority leader who is shepherding his health care bill and other items through Congress.
"I accepted Harry's apology without question because I've known him for years, I've seen the passionate leadership he's shown on issues of social justice, and I know what's in his heart," Obama said in his statement. "As far as I am concerned, the book is closed."
It was a book that disclosed Reid's comments -- Game Change, a chronicle of the 2008 campaign by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin.
Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine cited Obama's acceptance of Reid apology in downplaying the incident on Fox News Sunday.
"If you look at those comments, they clearly were in the context of praising Sen. Obama," Kaine said, predicting that Reid would stay on as Senate majority leader. "I don't think this is an issue that's going to affect his leadership at all."
Steele and other Republicans such as Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona cited what they called a "double standard" when it comes to racial comments by Democrats as opposed to members of the GOP. Both cited the case ofÂ Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, who lost his leadership post after his 2002 comments.
"I'd like to see the same standard applied to both" parties, Kyl said, also on Fox News Sunday.
Kaine, who also appeared with Steele on NBC's Meet The Press, said Lott's comments appeared to support segregation, while Reid was trying to praise Obama's ability.
(Posted by David Jackson)
Senator Harry Reid 
Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who is US Senate , is under a lot of criticism over comments he made during the 2008 United States presidential election, toward US President Barack Obama. The highlighted comment made by Reid was calling Obama a "light-skinned" black man "with no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one." The remarks were released in a book co-written by '''' magazine reporter , and '''' magazine reporter John Heileman. 

Reid has since apologized for "using such a poor choice of words."  President Obama quickly accepted the apology.  Reid has been a partner with the Obama Administration on issues such as health care reform.   chairman  told '''' "the comments were unfortunate and they were insensitive", but "I think the case is closed because President Obama has spoken directly with the leader Reid and accepted his apology. ... We're moving on."

Members of the  have called on Reid to resign over his comments. Party chairperson  told '''' "There is this standard where the Democrats feel that they can say these things and they can apologize when it ... comes from the mouths of their own. But if it comes from anyone else, it's racism,". Having appeared alongside Kaine, where the Democrat Party chairman stated the case was closed, Steele argued that there was a double standard, on the basis of then-Senator Obama calling in 2002 calling for , at that time the majority leader, to be ousted for supporting the views of , who stood as a segregationist Presidential candidate in 1948.

The book '''' published today, also says that New York Senator  encouraged Barack Obama to run in early 2006, even though he later endorsed his former colleague Hillary Clinton. Other revelations included that John McCain's aides were concerned about Sarah Palin's failure to understand basic facts prior to her '''' interviews with , including why North Korea and South Korea are separate countries.

Co-authors Halpern and Heileman have a history of vocal criticism of media coverage of the 2008 Presidential election. In late 2008, Daily Kos reporter Jed Lewison drew attention to comments by Halpern, on-stage with Heilmen, asserting the reportage was, "extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage"; he characterised election coverage as, "the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war". Halpern's centrepiece example was an analysis of ''New York Times'' profiles on the prospective First Ladies; overlooking earlier NYT coverage that reported on Obama's Caucasian ancestors being slave owners.